Underwater Air
by her-grace-hylia
Summary: Kataang. This is an AU which will contain some mature things in it. All of the A;TLA kids are now adults. The lemons are currently only in chapters 4, 5, 9, 12, 14 and 19.
1. Chapter 1

Katara stared at the computer screen, rubbing her temples. Friday, finally. All week she'd been slaving over work, and now it was time to go home. Once the computer screen was black, she stood from her chair and pushed it into the desk neatly. Looking down, Katara patted down the creases in her dress shirt and fixed her hair, before grabbing her belongings and leaving the small office. She waved goodbye to some people who were still in the kitchen, and they said their goodbyes for the weekend.

She reached her Satomobile, exhausted for a reason she scarcely knew why. Her phone began to ring uncontrollably, and she sat in her car, answering it.

"Hello?" She tried her perkiest tone. A voice mimicked hers. Sokka. She rolled her eyes, leaning back into her chair. "What do you want?"

"So, Suki and I are throwing a little get together at home tonight. You in?" He sounded childishly excited, per usual. She loved that about her brother. Katara sighed, scratching the top of her head. She racked her brain for ideas why she couldn't come, but came up with none. "Uh..." she muttered to herself.

"If you say no Suki is going to be really upset. She hasn't seen you for months! _I_ haven't seen you for months!"

"I know, I know." Groaned Katara. She switched her phone to the other ear. "I've been so caught up with work and everything, I thought you of all people knew how much of an issue it is."

"Yeah, I know. But you're not working right now, so you have no excuses. See you in a few hours!" He hung up.

Katara dropped her phone into her bag, hitting her hand against the steering wheel lamely. She started up the Satomobile and drove home.

Climbing the steps up to her small modern Bungalow she fished her hand in the mailbox, pulling it out with nothing but bills. Unlocking the door, Katara kicked her heels off and hung her jacket on the hook in the corner. She dropped the mail on the coffee table before walking to the back of the house and stripping off all of her clothes. It was 5 by now, and she was hungry. _What did Sokka even mean by get together? Was he going to invite dad or all of his and Suki's friends? _She decided to put a little make up on, and take her hair out of the braid it had been in all day. Her hair was wavy and down just past her waist.

She changed into a blue crew neck sweatshirt bearing the water tribe symbol, and a pair of black skinny jeans. Katara decided to stop by a convenience store on the way to Sokka's place and buy a few bottles of soda and a bag of chips. From her home, she brought a bottle of some wine. She wasn't sure what to expect when she got there, so she was just making sure that she was prepared.

Arriving at his place at a time she thought was fine, Katara got out of her car with the paper bag under her arm. She stuffed her keys in her pocket and basically hopped onto the porch in what seemed like anticipation. Katara was nervous to see what Sokka and Suki named a get together. Knocking on the door, she took a step back, looking in the window to check and see if her teeth were pearly white. They were fine.

Sokka answered the door, and music poured out with him. It wasn't obnoxious music, it was the kind she liked, the same genre Suki enjoyed as well. Suki always won in a battle with Sokka at who got to listen to their music. Sokka enjoyed bands with most guitar solo and irritating shouting that seemed to pass as singing. He had terrible taste, in Katara's opinion.

"So you did show up," Sokka flashed a grin, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. "What?" She muttered. "Didn't want to see your favorite person?"

"As if!" He snorted, moving his body to let her pass. She kicked off her shoes, and handed Sokka the bag. "Hey, you got my favorite! Sea salt and vinegar. Thanks, Kat."

"Mmm," she replied, sticking her head into the dining room to see if anyone was there. Quickly, she pulled it back to the mudroom. There were 3 unfamiliar faces. "Whose in there?" She whispered to Sokka. He shrugged quickly, not answering her. Sokka walked by her and into the kitchen.

"Katara's here!" He announced for her, and she winced, stalking into the dining room.

"Katara, hey!" Suki was holding a wine glass, smiling while she chattered happily to a girl. She recognized her, Ty Lee. Both girls gave Katara a small wave, before pouring her a glass of wine.

"Did you have dinner, Katara? Sokka is cooking something up."

"No I didn't, thanks." She answered, immediately taking a sip of the wine. It was sweet, she liked it. She looked arouned at the two others, both men.

"Oh, you don't know them. Right." Suki waved her hand in the air, taking a seat. Ty Lee sat beside her. Katara sat at the end of the large dining table, placing her glass down in front of her.

"That one's Jet, and the other's Aang. I think Zuko and Mai are going to show up, fashionably late as usual. Guys, this is Katara. Just because she's single doesn't mean I will let you have her!" Ty Lee was laughing at what Suki had said, and Katara grinned over at her.

They both nodded in her direction, taking a seat as well. Suki leaned over to Katara. "Sokka forced them over, because I was going to invite all my girls over for wine. I'm glad you could come! I missed you."

"Yeah, sorry. Works so crazy lately, I can barely catch a break. Being manager, as well as payroll and having no assistant manager is really wearing me out. Construction companies are the worst, I would definitely not recommend working with one if you want a social life." Her humor was brittle, almost as brittle as her personality. Katara didn't mind being antisocial, as long as she was being paid for it. For the most part, she had as much of a social life as her other co-workers. Suki patted her wrist sympathetically, but she really didn't understand. 4 Days a week she worked as a trainer for a teenage karate class, which is where she met her lifelong friends Mai and Ty Lee. Mai joined as a joke with another, Azula. At the time Suki was the youngest black belt at the age of 16, and the three girls, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee joined. Suki was fast friends with Ty Lee because of her gymnast training, and took a liking to Mai because of her strange infatuation with sharp objects. Thus, beginning a strong -strange- bond between the three girls. Azula, on the other hand, did not at all like Suki. For the rest of her teenage years, she seemed to torment Suki for 'stealing' the only friends she ever knew, which was not true at all. Once they grew to adulthood, Sokka and Suki moved out to Republic City. Not long after, Katara, and it seems the rest of their friends moved as well.

The doorbell rang, and Suki got up to go answer it. Instead of just three as Katara suspected, there were four people walking through to the dining room, seating themselves around the table.

"I need to go grab Sokka, I'm sure he'll be really excited to see you, Toph." Toph, was a very small girl, with clouded grey eyes and strangely styled black hair. She was wearing a pair of fading flared jeans and a casual green tank top. She sat down, after holding onto Zuko.

"Yeah, she arrived at the same time as us, a taxi dropped her off. Great timing, actually." Zuko shrugged, watching Mai pour herself a glass of wine and sit herself next to Ty Lee. They immediately began to talk of nonsense. Katara felt herself being excluded from all talk. What really seemed to grab her attention was the bald one with tattoos all over himself. He was thin, tall, and she had no idea what his name was. Although she didn't know his name, she was attracted to him. Tattoo's had always been a big turn on to her, and she had no idea why.

After some more awkward introductions and a second glass of wine, the food was served and everyone chatted away happily to each other. Katara wasn't really talking, more observing. What really threw her off was how she realized that Toph was blind, and how she suddenly felt like an idiot. Why didn't Katara realize it from the get go?

"So..." The brown haired one turned to Katara. He smelled like cigarettes, and she wanted to gag. Altogether, he was good looking and she didn't turn down conversation with him. They had small talk, enough to keep her occupied for a short amount of time. As quickly as the spark ignited, it went out again, and she was bored of speaking to him. He was good looking, so she got his number.

Once they finished eating, Suki moved everyone outside to their amazing back yard. It was beautiful, and had a fire pit as well. They lit a large fire and everyone sat around it. Katara decided to avoid sitting beside the brown haired one who called himself Jet, and this time beside the bald one. He seemed mysterious, and he had her attention. He wasn't even talking to her, and she could barely keep herself from looking at him.

He realized she was looking at her, and gave her a small smile. She quickly turned her head away, adjusting her hair for no reason.

"Hi," she heard him say, and she peaked back over at him. He was looking at her, smiling still. Damn, was his smile good looking. "Hi," she responded quietly, it sounded like a question.

"Katara right? You're Sokka's sister. I'm Aang."

"I know," but she didn't. She forgot his name right when Suki told her, and she was ashamed. Aang nodded, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. Katara wanted to continue conversation with him, but she didn't know how._ Time to make aimless conversation_, she thought anxiously.

"How do you and my brother know each other?" She wondered, but didn't really care. Aang's voice was enticing, and he smelled nice. He rubbed the stubble on his chin with his index finger. "We met at Toph's art show. Suki dragged him along and I was patrolling outside the estate. He was pretty drunk, and I had to help him inside."

Katara burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry, that just sounds exactly like my brother. What a terrible way to meet someone!"

Aang was laughing too, and Katara wanted to melt. In a good way.

"I like your laugh," they both commented at the same time, breaking into more laughter a moment later. After they finished laughing, Katara continued the conversation further.

"So you're like, security right?"

"Yeah, I was hired by Toph's mother. I'm security for art shows only, but I'm also studying to become a history teacher. I'm in my final year of university."

"Wow! That's amazing. Are you like, working at any schools right now?"

"Yeah," he was blushing. "Right now I'm only working there as a teacher in training, I guess you could say. I teach a few lessons, and I'm only there for about 5 months before I graduate."

"Congratulations." Katara grinned like an idiot, taking a drink of some soda, now. He thanked her, also taking a drink.

After Zuko and Mai left, Ty Lee decided it was also time to leave. Jet left with her for some reason, which everyone knew despite it being unspoken. Aang offered to drive Toph home, which Toph agreed too. That left Katara alone once again, with her brother and his wife. Before Aang left, he sat beside her on the couch.

"Can I see you again?" He asked very suddenly, and Katara almost choked on her drink.

"Uh, yeah, yes. Of course." She sputtered, pulling out her cellphone. He added his number in, and got up. "It was nice to meet you, Katara."

"Yeah," she nodded. Toph and Aang left. Katara sat back into the green sofa, covering her face with a pillow. When would they see each other again? She didn't know, but she was eager to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

Her alarm blared loudly, and she sat up, pressing it off quickly. Katara groaned, sitting up and brushing hair out of her face. Getting up out of bed, she left her phone beside her pillow and went into the on suite bathroom, stripping her clothes and climbing in the shower. Last night she'd gone to her brothers house for the small get together he was throwing. It was boring, but a certain man made her change her mind. He was nice, tall, had some muscle as well. He didn't seem like a drinker, and he was even studying to become a teacher. Katara was 27, already working full time in an office for 3 years. She knew what her life had in store for her, but he just seemed to be figuring it out. He was interesting, and she liked it.

Although it was only Saturday, she had errands to run and some work to catch up on. By work, she meant sitting down in front of the television to watch some of the shows she was recording. Usually, that was the extent of her weekend. This weekend would be the same as usual, it seemed. Once scrubbing herself clean she climbed out of the shower and dried off. Naked, she walked back into her room and slid into a pair of clothes that she could move easily in. She slid her phone into the pocket of her jeans and went back to her bathroom, dumping her pajamas and towel into the laundry basket. Katara lightly brushed on some cover up and mascara, before leaving the bathroom and going to her small kitchen. There, she fried an egg and burnt some toast. She sat at her 4 person max dining table and ate her breakfast slowly, checking her phone. Katara decided to be orderly and write a list of all the things she had to do today. In the middle of writing pick up clothes from dry cleaner, her phone vibrated, and screen lit up with a new text. Swiping the text quickly, Katara checked it. It was Jet, asking her what she was doing today.

**hey! whats up today, kat? can i call you that? are you free? **The text was poorly written, and she mentally checked the don't-give-your-number-out-to-cute-guys-who-know-your-brother list.

**Hi. I'm sorry, today I'm not free. I have a handful of things I need to get done.** She replied, pressing send quickly and going back to her list. Katara hoped he wouldn't reply. Wasn't he with Ty Lee anyway? He'd left with her last night. Again, her phone buzzed with a text. Groaning, Katara put down her phone without even checking it. She got up from her seat and put her plate in the dish washer, taking her sweet time before collecting her phone and going back to the bathroom. Instead of leaving her hair down, she decided to put it up in a bun. She brushed her teeth and left her home. Once she climbed into her Satomobile, Katara turned on the lock-screen of her phone to see the text. Instead of Jet, it was Aang.

**Hello, is this Katara? It's Aang, from last night. We met during Sokka's little get together.**

Katara was shocked, and could feel her face go hot. Of all times to ignore her phone, it was now. While she thought an immature man was texting her, it was the one she wanted to get to know better. Katara replied quickly.

**Yes, this is Katara! Hi, Aang. How are you?**

_Stop being stupid, Katara. Put your phone down and drive to the grocery store. _She thought to herself. Un-gluing her face from the screen of her phone, she started up her Satomobile and drove down to the market place.

After Katara got home from her errands, she put away all of her things and sat down on her sofa. It was well past one in the afternoon by now, she'd been out for around 3 hours. Katara turned on her television and selected the mover she wished to see. While the opening credits started up, she looked at her phone. There was 3 new messages. Two were from Jet and one from Aang.

She decided to check Jet's first.

**so like, what about tongiht? will u be done with the stuff u need to do?**

**hey u there? is that a no?**

She ignored the texts, nodding yes a muttering "it's a no from me," before going to Aang's next.

**I'm fine, just a little bored today. Usually I've always got things to do, marking student's papers, finishing homework of my own, or working for the Beifong family. Today, I don't have any of that. How about you?**

It was sent an hour ago, and she wanted to hit herself for not checking sooner. Katara quickly changed the settings on her phone so she would be verbally reminded that she had an incoming text received. She paused the mover, so she could focus on not making a fool of herself while texting Aang.

**I've just got home from running my errands, sorry that I didn't reply before. I have nothing else to do today. How about we go do something? I could ask Sokka and Suki to come with us.**

He replied almost immediately to her text, and she didn't need the verbal reminder. Katara was staring at her screen for what seemed like an agonizingly long time.

**Yeah, okay. That sounds like fun. How about we go to dinner, without Sokka and Suki?**

She couldn't breathe. Katara was practically jumping up and down in excitement from his text. She didn't care if she looked like a fool, nobody could even see her right now!

**Okay, sounds great.**

She replied, but not as quickly as she would have. Katara wanted to play hard to get, but she was failing miserably. He texted her the details, and what time they should meet. It was all reasonable, and she knew the restaurant he was suggesting was formal. She had to get ready. She flung herself up from the sofa, sliding clumsily across the hardwood floors under her socks. _Wait, turn off the television_ she thought madly, running back to the living room and flicking it off. She went to her room next, finding her favorite dress. It was a bright blue dress, long, that went in at the waist to show off her figure. She let her hair out of the bun and styled it as nicely as she could. Katara put on some heavier make up and slid the dress on.

Grabbing a small clutch, she placed money, her cellphone and keys into it and went out to her Satomobile. Aang had given her his address to meet so he could drive them, which was much more convenient for her. Once she arrived at what seemed to be the right place she climbed out of her Satomobile and up the steps to his house. It was nice, but she expected him to perhaps live on campus to the university he was studying at. She tapped her knuckles to the door a few times, taking a step back. To her, this felt so new. The last time she'd had a sturdy relationship, or what she thought was one, he ended up just taking thousands of dollars (and her old mattress) when she broke up with him. He'd broken in two days after when she asked him to return her house key. Since then, she never saw him again. Money wasn't as huge of a problem to her as it was to other people, and she wasn't worried about him taking the thousands he did. It was just her savings to visit the North again. She hadn't seen her father or grandmother for awhile, and she was going to take some time off to see them, but couldn't when he'd taken the money she saved up.

Her last boyfriend was over a year ago, and she was ready to try again. Wait, why was she even thinking that far ahead? There's a small possibility that this could even end up as a relationship more than friends.

Oh well, why not just let it happen.


	3. Chapter 3

He opened the door with a striking smile. It almost sent Katara falling backwards, but she kept herself steady. "Wow," he offered, moving himself out of the way so she could enter his home.

"You look really... great. I don't know how to describe it."

She could feel her cheeks grow hot, and she waved him off. "Oh, this? It's nothing, really."

He rubbed his head, growing pink in the cheeks as well. "I'm not entirely ready yet, sorry. I was just finishing up showering. I take long showers- hey, don't give me that look. Bald people can shower just as long as people with hair!"

"I'm sorry," Katara laughed. "Did I show up too early?"

He shook his head, but Katara was still laughing. She covered her mouth quickly. Trying to regain composure, Katara failed sadly. All she did was nod, continuing to have her laughing fit. Once Katara finished laughing, he showed her to the small living room so she could sit and wait for him to finish getting ready. His entire house smelled like him. It was a good smell, like expensive cologne.

Aang finished getting ready, and she could hear his feet pad quickly along the floors upstairs. He hit the end of the steps, and prodded her to stand up. She stood and picked up her clutch, holding it close to her. He wore a grey suit, with black leather shoes. She seemed to lose her breath for a moment when she saw him. Aang held out his arm, and she looked at him densely. For a moment, he stared at her in disbelief before she realized what he meant.

"Oh, oh!" She slid her arm through his, feeling her heart beat faster when they grew closer. He opened the door for her, and they climbed into his Satomobile. They arrived around twenty minutes later to the restaurant. She let herself out of his Satomobile, and gladly good his arm again. Stepping into the restaurant, it was warm and she was glad. Aang had also made reservations, which was lucky. This was a popular place, not many people can get in on such short notice. They were shown to their seat, and she sat across from him. The table was a good size, for just the two of them. Katara ordered the least messy thing she could, and Aang ordered a vegetarian plate.

They sat and had idle talk while waiting for their dishes to be served to them. He asked how she was doing today and she answered honestly, without boring him with her everyday problems.

"So you're a manager already?" He wondered, taking a drink of water. She nodded. "Yeah, since a few months ago. I was just promoted, after our last manager quit because of his wife. She wanted to go back to work so he had to take care of their twins."

"Wow, lucky you. You've got a good thing going, I think." He looked impressed, and she smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, but it's a lot of work. I'm always busy."

"But the pay is good, right? I can't wait to graduate and finally settle into a school, where I can teach instead of being taught."

"Isn't it hard to handle teenagers?" She wondered, looking around to see the waitress coming back to serve them their food. Aang shrugged, moving his hands off the table so she could place the plate in front of him. They both thanked the waitress, and she scurried off quickly.

"No, I mean...we were all there once. Some of them just test you for a reaction, but others are really great. I know how to handle teenagers because I was one with many phases."

Katara laughed, thinking about punk Aang. "Show me pictures some time, okay?"

"Yeah, I promise."

They dug into their food, and continued to talk for awhile about useless things. Aang was funny, and Katara seemed to like him more and more as the conversation lapsed on. She felt like she could talk to him for hours, which was definitely not a bad thing to her. She was not one to dig into something she didn't like and him...she was already half way through digging into him.

"Aang?" A voice behind her said. Katara looked up from her plate, to look at Aang's face. His eyes were wide, and he was staring past her. She placed her fork and knife down on the plate, and turned her body to see what he was staring so intently at. A girl was standing up, in a sleek black dress and was beside a man with a topknot. She had long brunnette hair with straight across bangs. She was tall, and very pretty. On the skinny side, but it seemed to work for her.

"On Ji?" Aang stood up abruptly. Katara watched him as this woman, _On Ji_ approached him. A smile grew across her face, and she embraced him in a tight hug. Aang looked shocked, but returned the hug warmly.

"It's so great to see you! I haven't seen you since you left school in the Fire Nation. How are you?" She pulled him away, still holding onto his shoulders. His hands rested on her hips. Katara was embarrassed, and she looked down at her plate.

"I- I'm good. You look great, what are you doing here?"

Katara wasn't sure if his voice was accusing or just simply skeptical. She glanced over at the man with the top knot. He was glaring at Aang.

"You didn't hear? I got a modeling job here. I'm on the cover of Republic Daily. Here, give me your number! I'll text you, and we'll get together, yeah?"

It was then that she glanced over at Katara. For a moment, Katara thought she saw her sneer at her, but in the next she flashed her a toothy grin. She was taken aback by this girl, the feeling of intimidation ran through her veins.

"Is this your _girlfriend_?" On Ji asked, in a threatening tone. Only Katara seemed to pick it up.

"Ah... no-" Aang waved his hands frantically, and Katara could feel herself become smaller and smaller every time he shook his head. On Ji looked back over at Aang, completely ignoring Katara again. She got his number, and hugged Aang again tightly. He returned her hug and she went to leave the restaurant with the man who had the top knot. Aang was still looking shocked when he smoothed out his blazer and sat back down. Katara pushed her plate away.

"I need to go to the restroom." She announced quickly, getting up from her seat and walking through the filled restaurant. When she reached the restroom, she shoved her way in. There was two women there, wearing elegant gowns and fishing through their purses for make up. Katara walked over to the mirror, and stared at herself intently. She looked depressed, her cheeks slightly flushed pink and her eyes were blankly staring into the reflection. She slapped her cheeks lightly and tightly held her eyes shut.

"Cigarette?" One of them offered, holding it out with two fingers. Katara refused, and wiped a damp paper towel under her eyes. She breathed a few times, in and out. She pulled her phone from her pocket, and contemplated dialing Sokka's number for help. She stared at his icon on her phone, and picture of him holding his toy boomerang when he was 16, over 11 years ago. She sighed, and placed the phone back into her clutch. For another moment, she stared in the mirror, before scooping her breasts up and making them look plumper than before. She sucked in her stomach, and looked around at the other two woman in the restroom. They both nodded and held their thumbs up at her. She felt uncomfortable but also a little more full of hope.

Finally, Katara filled herself up with enough pride to walk back out of the restroom and to the table where Aang ate his food. She sat down silently, and he stared at her. Once he swallowed a mouth full of food he spoke up.

"Are you okay?"

Katara pretended not to hear him, and took a drink of iced water. "Hmm?"

"You okay?" He asked again, narrowing his eyebrows. She nodded, not saying anything.

They didn't say anything for another few minutes, before Katara placed both of her hands on the table.

"Who was she?" She asked, in a quiet voice. Regretting it right away, Katara wished she could take it back. Aang looked up at her, and placed both of his cutlery on the table. He seemed to contemplate for a moment, before sighing. "My ex girlfriend."

Katara smiled weakly, suspecting as much. "Ah," she nodded, as if she were pretending to understand something as simple as that. She felt tired and didn't want to speak anymore. It was strange, when she had just noted that she felt like she could talk to him for hours, but now seeing someone like On Ji she felt defeated and didn't even want to try anymore. Now she knew why she didn't last in relationships, because she grew tired of caring too much.

"I'm not feeling well." She admitted. It was partially true, but not in the way she hoped he interpreted it. Aang didn't say anything, but he stopped a waitress and asked her for the bill.

"I'll take you home," he said finally. The waitress got the bill and he put the money on top of it. The whole time, Katara was trying to protest but he wouldn't hear any of it. His face was solemn looking and he wouldn't meet her gaze.

Once Aang began to leave the restaurant, Katara stayed behind and placed a 45 dollar tip on the table, following him quickly. They reached his Satomobile and sat in it for a minute.

Katara felt cold, and was rubbing her arms. Aang looked at her, before sliding his blazer off and placing it around her shoulders. Without complaint, Katara slid her arms through it. He drove back to his place, and they didn't spare each other one glance. Katara was depressed, and stared out the window the entire time. His blazer was warm, and smelt good. She kept it wrapped around her tightly.

They arrived quicker than she thought, and she got out of the Satomobile. Her chest was tight, and she felt her heart beating quickly. Aang obviously didn't care that their interaction would basically be terminated after she drove home. Katara stood there in between both of their Satomobiles, staring at Aang.

"Do you want to come in for some tea?" He hesitated for a moment, sticking both of his hands in his pockets. She nodded, and followed him into the house. She sat down at his dining table while he made tea, and pulled off his blazer. It was still cold, but she thought wearing it would be a little silly. She didn't know why she felt so worn out just by one encounter with On Ji. She was beautiful and well, Katara was self conscious and so many petty things seemed to set her off. How do you keep a steady relationship when you can't even begin one?

"Here," Aang placed a small cup on the table in front of Katara, before sitting down in the seat next to her. His body was turned towards her, and he opened his mouth like he was going to say something. She thanked him quietly and took a sip, hoping he would speak up first.

"Look," he began. She nodded, waiting for him to say something. He didn't. His eyebrows furrowed and he looked away, before looking back at her quickly.

"Look," he repeated, holding a hand out as if he was trying to hand her what he wanted to say. She waited patiently.

"Okay, okay... I have so much I want to say that I just want to get it all out quickly but I can't..." He stopped, and when she didn't say anything he continued.

"I like you. That thing in the restaurant with On Ji, it was nothing. I'm serious. We dated in middle school all the way until I graduated high school, and then I broke up with her because I moved to Republic city. She wanted to hold me back from my dreams, and I wanted to pursue them. We went separate ways. There's no rekindling romance, if you think that. No chance."

_He makes it sound like we're dating_, she thought fondly. Aang gave her a hint of a smile, and she returned it.

"It's kind of hard not to feel insecure after seeing that one of your exes is a model." She muttered, holding the cup closer to her. He laughed. "She's my only ex."

"Only?" Katara was blank faced as she stared at him. He smiled, and nodded his head. "Yeah, she's my only girlfriend."

Katara wanted to pinch his cheeks and kiss his forehead and tuck him into bed. Only girlfriend? They broke up after they graduated high school. Why hadn't he gotten a new girlfriend since then?

"Can I kiss you?" Aang asked, his eyes staring intently at her. She was in shock, and felt her self freeze. Kiss? Her? How long had it been before she had actual human contact with someone she was in a relationship with? Finally, Katara realized time was still moving before she snapped out of it.

"Y-yeah... Yes." She placed the cup down on the table, and turned herself towards Aang. Aang did the same.

His hands were placed gently on her thighs, and they both leaned closer. Katara closed her eyes slowly, and their lips touched. At first, it was slow, but slowly the picked up speed and the kiss intensified. His lips were soft and tasted like the tea he sipped on. She moved her chair closer so that their legs were intertwined. His hands moved up her thighs and around her waist. She was gasping profusely as she moved her hands to the back of his neck.

Once Katara pulled away, they both kept their hands tightly around the other.

"I want to see you again," Katara whispered, trying to catch her breath. Aang nodded, gasping as well. "Yeah," he said, finally leaning back.

A.N: hello, author here. just saying, that on ji is a real character in the avatar series. in the real series, her and aang didn't have any romantic relationship but i couldn't find any other character who would fit the part like her. shes a fire nation character, and appears in book 3 episode 2: "the headband". hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

A.N: hello, i know i just posted a chapter like yesterday but i just want to thank everyone whose stumbled across this fanfiction! all of your nice comments, and even just faving it makes me very happy. you're all very supportive and i love reading your comments

Katara had been hanging out with Aang for about 3 weeks, now. They weren't officially dating, but Katara knew that she liked him more than a friend. They hand been on a handful of dates and she even stayed over at his place one night. Tonight, it was Saturday and her and Aang had been talking on the phone while she painted her toenails.

"Come over tonight," his voice was low.

Katara felt thrilled. "You mean, sleep over?"

"Mhm," he replied.

"Okay," she tried her best to sound calm and cool. "I'll be over in a bit."

"'Kay."

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Katara got ready quickly, and drove to his place. She brought a bag with pajama's and another change of clothes with her. Usually, Aang and Katara watched movers and hung around for awhile. The farthest they've gone would just be making out.

Katara knocked on his door, and Aang let her in quickly. He looked like he'd just finished yoga, because he was wearing sweats and had no shirt on.

"Nice," Katara commented, walking in. He took her bag and put it by the door. She stripped her shoes and went to his living room, where she sat. Aang seemed to have something on his mind, because he followed her, sitting close to Katara's body on the roomy sofa.

"Aang?" Katara looked at him, smiling slightly. He stared at her, before breaking into a smile as well.

"I got accepted to a school, for the entire year!" He cheered, picking up his arms and doing a little jig. Katara laughed, wrapping her arms around him. Before he could return her hug, she pulled herself off of him, feeling her face burn.

"Congratulations!" She said with plenty of enthusiasm. He chuckled cutely, and she was even happier.

"When I graduate and the summer ends I'll be a full time History teacher at Avatar High. Pretty exciting."

She nodded, clapping a bit. Aang was still sitting agonizingly close to her, and all she wanted to do was kiss him. His smiling face made her nervous, even after knowing him for almost over a month.

Katara realized she was staring at him, and quickly looked away. He seemed to notice her hesitation, and tilted his head back into her field of view. He prodded her with a finger on the cheek, and she laughed tightly. He frowned, and slid his hands around her waist, moving even closer to her.

"Aang..." She choked out, not able to meet his eyes.

"Katara," he mimicked in the same voice, moving his face closer to hers. She moved her face away, and his lips found her cheekbone, moving down to her jaw, to her neck, to her chest. Her hand was placed gently on his head, the other on his shoulder. Katara wasn't sure if she was moving him or if he was doing it himself.

"A-Aang..." she gasped, pulling him back up to face her. He looked different. His face was serious, like he wanted something.

"Let me touch you," he mumbled, his hands moving down to her thighs. She bit her lip, her hands sliding around his chest. His lips found hers and they began to kiss deeply. He pushed her down on the sofa, and was laying over her. Katara pulled his face back to hers, continuing to kiss him. His hands roamed her body freely, and she welcomed it.

"Can we go up to your room?" Katara whispered, sitting up. Aang nodded, and got off of her. They began to move up the stairs to the room, Aang grabbing after Katara the whole time. Once they got past the door frame of his room, Aang began to pull off Katara's shirt, and he pushed her down on the bed. She shimmied up to the pillows, pulling him on top of her again. His lips were on her neck, moving down to her breasts. Lightly, he suckled on them as he undid her bra and pulled it off. He threw it off the side of the bed, moving farther down her body. She kept writhing under him excitedly, her hand planted firmly on the top of his head this time.

Aang undid her pants, pulling them down and off of her, only her underwear was restricting him. She could feel herself growing hotter between her legs. His lips pressed lightly against the inside of her thighs.

"S-stop..." She gasped, pushing down her own panties a tad. He looked up at her, smiling wickedly. He was sexy. Aang took her panties in his mouth, pulling them down. She watched him the whole time, anticipation taking over. At last they were off, and he kissed closer and closer to the spot she wanted. He got there, and his tongue lightly grazed her clit. Katara's hands gripped the blankets, her legs moving farther apart. She was whimpering quietly, her voice getting caught in her throat.

The doorbell rang throughout the house.

Katara groaned, sitting up. Aang got up, glaring at the door as if it would make the person leave. He held up a finger and went to his dresser, grabbing a t-shirt. Quickly, he ran down the stairs to go answer the door. Katara put her clothes back on, following after him. She stopped short at the end of the stairs after hearing who he was speaking too.

"On Ji, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you, Aang! Are you busy, lets go to dinner."

"I am busy-" he said, but was cut off. Katara looked from the hall to see that On Ji had her hands up his shirt, whispering something in his ear. Or was she kissing his cheek?

"On Ji, no."

"What? Why not? You seemed to be okay with it last week." She whined, moving her hands down to his bottom. Last week? What did she mean? Katara moved out from the hall and On Ji spotted her. On Ji stepped back, placing her hands quickly into her pocket.

"Oh, you're with whats-her-face." She stuck her nose in the air, squeezing Aang's shoulder. She left quickly, and Aang stood frozen for a moment. Katara scoffed on purpose, and he turned to her.

"Ah, sorry-"

"Last week?" Katara interrupted him, sitting on his sofa. Aang shrugged, closing the door. "I don't know what she's talking about. I haven't seen her since the dinner a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, okay." Katara hugged herself tightly, avoiding eye contact. They were about to have sex, when he'd just finished doing On Ji last week! Aang went and sat beside her, but she shuffled away from him.

"Okay, please do not do this." He snapped, making her look at him. Katara blinked hard.

"I'm not _doing_ anything, apparently that's all you!" She retaliated, standing up.

"We're not even dating! So I don't understand why you're angry, even if I did have sex with her. Which, I didn't!"

Katara didn't answer for a minute, just staring at him in disbelief. "Okay. But what was just happening upstairs like 2 minutes ago? Were we not just about to have sex? I thought you said you liked me." She whispered the last part, before turning on her heels and walking towards the door.

"Katara-" Aang stood up, following her with long strides. She slid her shoes on and grabbed her bag. "I do like you!" He almost shouted. She was opening the front door, when he slammed it shut and leaned his body against it.

"Move." Katara demanded, but he didn't. She stared down at his feet, waiting for him to move aside.

"Listen to me, please." He tried to touch her shoulder, but she moved away. "I don't want to hear it! Can I just leave?"

"Katara-" he said again. His voice sounded pained, and she looked up at him quickly. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Just move. Let me clear my head." She muttered darkly, and he did move this time. For some reason, she wished he'd put up more of a fight to keep her there, but at the same time she was relieved that he moved out of the way. She opened the door and left quickly, jogging down the steps. It had began to rain, and it was just past getting dark out. Katara made it to her Satomobile, and left quickly. She left Aang standing on his porch watching her as she drove off.

She drove to Sokka's place. Without knocking, she walked through the door and closed it. "It's me," she shouted. The first person who appeared was Suki, and she welcomed Katara warmly with a smile.

"What are you doing here, Kat?" she wondered, guiding her into the kitchen. Katara told her everything. From the first date to just 20 minutes ago. Suki listened the whole time, and even Sokka who's only walked downstairs from napping to grab a snack listened to it.

"Okay," Sokka said, munching on a cold burrito. "Why the hell are you trying to date my friend?"

"Sokka!" Suki hit him in the arm angrily, crossing her arms and turning back to Katara. "Wow," she answered.

Katara sighed, laying her head down on the table. "What do I do?" she mumbled in a muffled voice, barely looking up to see Suki's expression.

"Stop trying to date my friend?" Sokka suggested, which ended in him getting smacked in the arm again.

"I think you should believe Aang. I mean, she saw your Satomobile in the front obviously. What if she also noticed your shoes and knew he was with a girl? Plus, she basically met you at the restaurant. I bet she's just trying to get under your skin."

"Katara, I'm serious..." Sokka began again, but stopped once Suki glowered at him. "Don't you have something to watch on television? Go watch a mover!"

Sokka stuck his hands in the air, his mouth full of burrito. He walked away, defeated. Suki turned back to Katara, staring at her intently. "I've known Aang since he was 12 years old, Katara. He's a really good kid. He wouldn't do anything to hurt another person on purpose. He's very...balanced."

"Then what do you know about the girl, On Ji?"

Suki rolled her eyes. "That bitch? She's had guys all over her since she got into school. On Ji should be lucky Aang even dated her for 6 years. She used him because his parents were important. Once he finally decided to break up with her and pursue his dream she was onto the next guy in an hour, guaranteed."

"Really, 6 years?" Katara's voice was quiet.

Suki nodded. "Aang loved her, but she cheated on him so many times. He never believed anyone but her. It's like he was under a spell. But I don't think he's under that spell anymore. Go, talk to him."

"It's almost 9." Katara tried her best to get out of it. She felt terrible. She should have just listened to him from the beginning. It's like her previous relationships, where she didn't have any trust. They weren't even dating. Suki was giving her the look, and Katara nodding. "I'll call him."

"Good! I'm glad I can help you, Katara."

Katara stood up, and stalked off to the back door. She went to the back patio, and hid under the cover from the rain. She really enjoyed being out in the rain, and it was better because no one would listen to her if she was out there.

She dialed Aang's number, and waited for him to answer.

"Hello?" It wasn't Aang's voice. It was feminine.

"Sorry, wrong nu-"

"No, this is Aang's phone." She said. Katara froze, closing her eyes.

"Can I talk to him?"

It was On Ji, obviously. "No, sorry. He's taking a shower. He was so sweaty from being too physical with me." She chuckled. Katara felt sick. What's with her? She didn't have to confess everything, even if she was having sex with Aang. Katara hung up the phone quickly, her eyes succumbing to tears.

She returned into the house, finding Suki and Sokka together on the sofa, his arm around her and her head in his lap as they watched a mover. Katara stiffly walked past them, towards the door. She made sure not to look at them.

"Hey, how did it go?" Suki prodded, sitting up. Katara waved her off, trying her best to sound normal as she shouted "just fine!"

"Katara, wait. Where are you going?" Sokka wondered, getting up. Suki followed Katara as well, and she turned to them, tears falling down her cheeks.

"On Ji picked up!" Katara cried, flailing a hand in the air. Suki hugged Katara, patting her hair gently. Katara hid her face on Suki's shoulder, feeling like a child. She told her what On Ji told her, and Suki froze.

"Alright, let's go to Aang's house. Just you and I, Katara."

"Come on, I want to see the action!" Sokka whined, crossing his arms. Suki once again glared at him, and he sighed loudly. Sokka then turned to Katara. "I know what Aang's like, okay? He's not a womanizer. Or at least, I didn't think he was. I'm sure he's got a perfectly acceptable reason to why On Ji picked up his phone."

Katara wiped under her eyes, nodding her head. Sokka patted her shoulder, and went back to the couch. "I'm gonna finish the mover without you, Su."

"'Kay. Let's go, Katara."

So they did. Suki drove, while Katara played different scenarios in her mind, feeling dizzier as she thought of even worse things that could happen when she gets there. Aang was driving her crazy, but it was only the Aang in her mind that was doing it. Her chest hurt, and she wondered if that was really how love played out. Pain and anger rolled into two people, and two people alone. Is this how it was going to end with Aang? What if he was sitll in love with On Ji? She could never compete with someone he was with for 6 years, let alone a model. She knew so much more about him than she might ever know. Once they arrived at Aang's house, Suki asked Katara if she wanted her to tag along inside.

"Yeah, you're here to be my support and if he doesn't understand well..."

"We're all friends here, well... You know what I mean!"

They jogged up to the porch, and Katara wrapped her knuckles against his door twice. Aang answered the door.

"Why did On Ji pick up your phone?" Katara snapped immediately, and Suki slapped her own forehead.

"On Ji has my phone? I can't find it. I was going to call you, but my phone is nowhere. I'm sorry. What did she say?"

Katara shoved past him, and into the house. "Where is she? She said you were taking a shower."

"Katara... I wasn't taking a shower. She didn't come back after you left, I promise. Can we just talk about this?"

She faltered for a moment, sinking onto the sofa. Aang looked over at Suki, and she stared at him apologetically. "Alright, alright. I get it. Call me if you want me to pick you up, okay Katara?"

Nodding, Katara watched as Suki left. Aang sat down on the coffee table in front of her, staring at her with a broken expression. "Where do you want me to start?" He asked, dropping his arms in his lap. Katara crossed her arms. "Just tell me everything."

"Okay," he promised.

"On Ji and I met after I transferred to the Fire Nation Academy in middle school. For a year we were just friends, until she asked me out in seventh grade. We were really happy and got along well for 3 of those years. After the 4th, people began to tell me she'd been cheating on me, but I definitely wouldn't believe it. I grew pretty depressed because I thought that I was in love with her." He paused, staring at Katara's face the whole time. She had no reaction, so he continued. "I didn't understand why people would try to break us up, knowing that I was so happy with her. After 5 years, my parents were murdered when I was out late at a party. I was left all alone, and moved in with my only friend Shoji and his family. I began to act up, badly, and was even suspended from my school for a month. Shoji's family was nothing but kind to me and I had no way to repay them. I was barely 17, and I was dumb and reckless. I got a job, working at a market place, and when I got home from work one day I caught Shoji and On Ji together. I thought that it was Shoji that had instigated On Ji to get in bed with him, or maybe he forced her. She was crying, and I thought that she was the only one that could make me happy. I beat Shoji until he couldn't move, and that was when his father found me. They didn't charge me, and even now I'm still so grateful to them. Once I graduated high school, there were still rumors that On Ji was cheating on me. I told her my plan to move to Republic City, and gave her the chance to go with me. She tried to talk me out of it, so I finally broke up with her. I'd had enough pain, and I wanted to move on from my life there. I needed a fresh start. I left her, and I guess she never forgave me."

His hands were shaking. She could tell that the entire story was traumatizing for him to replay. Katara placed her hands on his, and he squeezed them thankfully. "After that, I was never violent ever again. It's like I'm a new me. I barely trusted anyone after her, Katara. I want you, more than I've wanted anyone. On Ji trying to ruin that is just... Fucked up. I promise, so please believe me. I haven't touched her since I left the Fire Nation."

"I believe you, I believe you. You don't need to talk about it anymore. I'm sorry that I didn't listen, I get hot tempered and I just had to leave. I didn't want to explode on you anymore than I had."

His arms were around her, and his head on her shoulder. He kept whispering thank you over and over. She laid her cheek against his head, rubbing his back.

"I don't want to mess this up," she admitted in a small voice. He shook with a small chuckle. "Me either. I don't want you to leave again. I want you to be my girlfriend."

"Yeah, okay." She nodded, hugging him tighter. He kissed her neck softly, readjusting his head into the crook of her neck.

"Can you keep doing that?" She mumbled, tipping her head so he could have a better opening to kiss her neck. He laughed quietly, kissing the same spot again, slowly. She wanted to melt in his arms.

"Hold on." He got up, going to his front door. Aang clicked the lock on it, and began to move towards his stairs.

"This time, we won't be interrupted."


	5. Chapter 5

A.N: so i had gotten some reviews about hoping to see some funny sokka in this chapter but sorry this will be disappointing lol. also sex kbye.

Aang had gotten her clothes off again, and was between her thighs. This time, he told her he wouldn't answer the door or leave the room until she'd finished. This was her time, and he was going to put it to good use. Katara felt his tongue lightly run across her again, and she let out a moan. Embarrassed, she covered her mouth. Aang looked up at her, rubbing her thighs. "It's fine, moan all you like."

Her entire body was tingling. He tilted his head a bit, sucking her clit between his lips. His eyes were closed, and he looked like he was really enjoying it. Katara couldn't keep quiet, especially when one of his long fingers slid inside of her. Continuing to lick her, he moved his finger in and out slowly. She kept on moaning his name quietly, sometimes not being able to be as quiet as she would like.

"F-fuck" she gasped, her back arching on the bed. Aang looked at her once again, his face flushed. "That's really hot when you moan."

She wanted to feel more of him, but didn't quite know how to ask. Normally, the guys she went out with wouldn't willingly go down on her. Aang was also skilled, for only being with one woman. _Wait, Katara. He never specified if he'd only been with one woman. He said he's only dated one woman._

"Aang, I want to feel more of you." Katara tried her best to regain composure, but failed terribly. He began to kiss back up her body, with one finger still inside of her, moving slowly in an out. "Please," she gasped, while he took his time biting her breast. Aang pulled his finger out of her and reached into a drawer beside the bed, pulling out a condom. He laid it beside Katara's head as he went to take off his sweats. She stopped him, making Aang get off of her.

"Allow me," she grinned idiotically at him, slowly pulling off his sweats. Aang took off his own shirt, throwing it to the side. His boner was sticking out through his boxers, and she bit her lip. Katara was pleased by the sight, looking at him as she rubbed two fingers across his bulge.

"Someone's a little hungry, huh?" She teased, pressing her lips to the outline of him. His eyes closed, and he nodded a bit. Katara climbed on his lap, leaning over him. His hands fondled her breasts as she rubbed herself against him, slowly.

"Stop teasing me," he groaned. Aang pushed her hips down on him, and she gasped. He pulled off his own boxers, disregarding them off the side of the bed with the rest of the clothes. They were entirely skin to skin.

"Okay, put it on." Katara moved down his legs, and he placed the condom on himself quickly. She took him in her hand, lightly moving her hand up and down to keep his boner, before placing it under her. Katara watched him as she moved herself down on him, his mouth slightly gaped open. She moved her hips in small circular motions, taking as much as she could of him. It had been a long time since she had felt anyone like this, and she was a little rusty in all honesty.

"Does it hurt?" He wondered, and she shook her head. Aang placed his hands on either side of her calf, pulling her legs apart further. She opened her mouth in a large O shape, letting out a whine. He flipped them, without leaving her. Now Katara was on her back and he slowly moved in and out.

"Aang-" she moaned, moving his hands to hold her legs apart. His breathing was ragged, and she began to move with him. Not being able to hold back, Katara moaned countless times while he thrust in and out of her. She tried to quiet herself with a hand, but Aang moved it away from her mouth.

"Be loud, it makes me weak as hell." He breathed, going harder. She did as he said, pulling him down to her. Aang's lips were on her breast and one hand on the other breast. His other hand rubbed her clit softly. Her hands were running along his back, nails scratching him profusely. He pulled out of her, and Katara turned over, on her hands and knees. He pushed himself inside of her quickly, and she cried out his name. His hands found her hips as they move together in unison. Aang pulled her harder and harder against him each time he pulled out, which made her moan every time.

"Katara-" Aang moaned quietly. She wanted him to continue to moan her name. His breathing was hard against her, and he continued to kiss her body.

"Aang I-I'm..."

"Me too," he didn't even hear her finish her sentence to know what she meant. His body moved slower, but harder. He leaned closer to her, his hands moving up to her breasts. She began to orgasm, before finishing on him. He finished as well, moaning for her. Slowly, Aang pulled out of her, collapsing on the bed beside her. She laid her body down, and he pulled her into him.

"I need to clean myself up. I'll be right back." He kissed her on the forehead, before scurrying off to the bathroom. Katara pulled herself under the blankets, looking around his dark room. Once he returned, he laid in the bed with her. It was well past 10:30 now, and she was exhausted. She laid herself in his arms, where he held her tightly. She felt peaceful after the make up sex.

"I've never finished that fast in my life," he said, his fingers lightly moving up and down her back. She kissed his chest, laughing quietly.

"Should I be flattered?"

"Very." Katara could feel him nodding, and he pulled her closer.

"You make me feel so many emotions, it's crazy." Aang whispered. Katara snaked an arm around his torso, closing her eyes. "Mmm," she mumbled tiredly.

"Okay," he chuckled, kissing her forehead softly. "Sorry, sorry. Go to sleep."

When she woke up, Katara's body hurt. Aang wasn't in the bed with her, either. She slid on some clothes, putting her hair up quickly. She went down the stairs, and looked around his home. "Aang?" She said aloud.

"In the kitchen," he said back. She smiled, pinching herself. No, she was not dreaming. Walking in the kitchen, Katara stopped moving when she saw a similar topknot sitting at the table.

Aang noticed her distraught expression, and waved a hand at her. "Ah, it's okay. This is Hide. He's On Ji's boyfriend. Or, was. He returned my phone. He caught her while she was talking to you."

Hide turned to Katara, and smiled at her. "I'm sorry about what she did to you. I didn't think she would go as far as to split you guys up. I know On Ji, and shes... not the brightest. I'll leave now. Again, sorry."

"No, no... It's fine. It's not your fault this happened. Thank you for returning his phone." Katara felt dazed, and watched him as he left. She looked over at Aang, and he gave her a smile.

"You don't need to answer this," Katara began, sitting down at his table. "But, were you happy when you saw On Ji in the restaurant?"

Aang tilted his head at her, standing up to place his plate in the sink. "I made some omelettes."

"Aang!"

"You said I didn't need to answer it-"

"Okay, fine." She pouted. He got her a plate and placed the omelette on it. He put it in front of her. "Yeah, I was happy until I remembered everything I tried really hard to forget." He kissed her temple. "Suki dropped your overnight bag off. It's by the sofa."

She took a bite of food, nodding in thanks. It was good, he was a good cook. Aang sat down, leaning his head on his hand. He watched her with a smile as she ate.

"Do you have juice?"

"Mm? Yeah, orange juice."

"Can I have some?" Katara asked, standing up. He got up, pushing her shoulders back down. "Yes, and you don't need to ask to grab some. Feel free to do anything." He got her the orange juice, placing it beside her. She took a drink happily.

"I'm gonna make some coffee, want some?"

"No, I don't drink it." She replied, picking up her plate and finishing off her orange juice. Katara washed the dishes off and placed them back into the pantry.

"You know that's what dish washers are for."

"Yeah, but it was only two things. It's fine."

He walked back over to her, cutting her off and making her lean against the counter. Aang kissed Katara, wrapping his arms around her. She held onto his broad shoulders, deepening the kiss. Finally, they broke apart to breathe and she grinned at him.

"Okay, I should probably change and get home. I have to get ready for work tomorrow."

"Really? Okay..."

Aang drove Katara to Suki's so she could pick up her Satomobile and head home. Once she got back to her own house, she felt like a stranger. She showered, and cleaned herself up a bit. Being alone was strange for her, although it'd only been a day that she was with other people.

Her phone began to ring, and it was her dads ringtone.

"Dad, hi." she answered right away. Usually he called only when it was important. He was working up in the North right now, with the chief of the tribe. Katara's dad was retired from the police force. He spent most of his days taking care of his mother, but he'd gone to visit the North because of some troubles.

"Hey, how are you?" He asked. She replied with the norm, and they got quickly into conversation.

"Your grandmother's not doing good." He said suddenly, and Katara had to sit herself down for what he was about to say. "Are you coming back to Republic City? Bring her, please."

"Katara, she's worse these days. I don't think she'll be going anywhere. I'm heading back to the South right now. Her care takers called me and told me what was happening. She's been put in the hospital. I just finished calling your brother. He's making some time to come up this week to see her."

She tried her best to breathe normally, but couldn't. Gran was always there for her, and now it was her turn to be taken care of. "Okay, I'll see what I can do." Her voice was shaking terribly.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, little fish." That was the nickname he'd given her since she was young.

"Yeah," was all she said.

They finished their conversation, and Katara immediately called her work. She told them she'd be taking a week or two off to go and see her grandmother, and even spoke to the official boss of the corporation. He understood, and allowed her to take no more than two weeks off. She began to pack her things, ringing Sokka next.

"Katara," Sokka answered the phone. He sounded stressed out.

"When are you leaving?" Was all she asked, folding her clothes and pushing it in the bag.

"The fastest boat to the South is leaving tomorrow night. I'll pick you up then."

"Okay." She hung up. Katara definitely couldn't break down. Her brother sounded like he had just finished breaking down. Of course, he has Suki for moral support, but she wasn't sure if that was enough. After her mother had died, their grandmother became one of their only family. Their father was always busy with his work, being out of the house for incredible amounts of time in a day. Sokka would definitely be hit harder than Katara, she thought. She had to be strong for her father and brother.

She called Aang, and he answered on the second ring.

"Hello?" He asked.

"I'm leaving for awhile," she said into the phone, with a monotone voice.

"Why?" He sounded shocked.

"To see my grandmother. She's in rough shape." Katara swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I can't ask you to do that." She was shaking her head although he couldn't see her. Aang sighed into the phone. "I'd do anything for you, Katara."

"Still, no. I'll call you as much as I can up South, I promise."

"When are you leaving?" He asked.

"Tomorrow night, why?"

He breathed heavily into the phone again. "I'll be over in a bit."

"Aang-"

He hung up.

Katara pressed the end call on her phone and threw it on her bed. She had finished packing for the moment, and laid on her bed. For a moment, she wondered if she should have not told Aang, but decided it was a good idea that she had. Katara sat up, and went into the bathroom to see if she looked okay. She didn't. Her eyes were red, even though she hadn't cried. She quickly plastered on some make up before going to the door to wait outside for him. He arrived very shortly after their call ended, that he did.

Aang basically jumped up the steps to her house, following her inside. He kicked off his shoes and grabbed onto her wrist to stop her in the hall.

"Katara, come here."

"No, I'm fine." She promised, smiling at him. He didn't believe her. He placed both of his hands on either side of her neck, and looked her right in the eye. Katara did her best not to lose his gaze, or to burst into tears. "Why are you testing me? I said I'm fine." She snapped, pushing him away.

"I-" Aang stopped himself. He leaned against the door frame as she walked into her living room.

"I pushed everyone away when my parents died. Don't do it. Ask for help. Cry, scream. Do whatever makes you feel better." He said in a soft voice.

"She's not even dead." Katara shook her head, dropping it into her hands. Aang sat on the love seat, knowing he should keep his distance for a bit.

"Why did you come here? We saw each other like 2 hours ago."

"Katara." He muttered sternly, and she closed her mouth. "I wanted to be with you, I want to help you."

"I don't _need_ help! There's nothing wrong with me, my grandmother is the one whose dying!" She glared over at him, her eyes filling with tears. "I need to be strong for my damn family, okay? Don't try and get a reaction out of me, I'll do it when I have time!" She was crying, tears running down her cheeks. Aang couldn't look away from her, for some reason. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he moved to the couch beside her.

"Don't, don't..." She cried. His arms wound around her, and she put her head against his chest, sobbing there. "I can't... break down." she sobbed quietly.

"I know," Aang shushed her, stroking her half damp hair. "I want my mom... and my gran." She cried. Aang was rocking her back and forth slowly. She wondered if he knew about their mother, after being friends with Sokka for a few years.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, laying his head on hers, She wound her arms around his torso, sitting on his lap. Aang held her for a few hours, while she tried her best to calm down.

Katara opened her eyes, wondering when she'd fallen asleep. She was in Aang's arms, still on the couch. He was fast asleep as well, his head lulled back and his mouth open. His breathing was soft, and Katara's head lay in the crook of his neck. Both of his hands were limply at his sides. She tried her best to get off of him without waking, but it didn't work.

"Mm, Katara?" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. She sat down beside him. Out the window, it was dark out. They'd probably been asleep for a few hours, which meant her sleeping pattern was totally screwed.

"What time is it?" He wondered, and she checked her phone.

"10." She replied quietly, placing her phone on the table.

"Do you want me to leave?" He asked. She shook her head. "No, stay. Come sleep with me."

"Okay." He took her hand, following her. Katara brought her phone with her, turning the alarm on to 9 AM tomorrow.

Once they got in her bed, she slid off her pants and bra. He took off his pants and shirt, laying beside her. They both couldn't sleep any longer. Aang took Katara in his arms again, holding her tightly. She was actually very glad he decided to come over. He cleared his throat, still partially groggy.

"Seeing you cry...was one of the most heart breaking things I've ever seen." He admitted into the darkness, his hand sliding up her shirt to rub her back. She sighed, closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so immature and cried like that."

Aang shook his head. "That's not what this is about at all, Katara. Cry as much as you need too. Yell at me, call me names. If it makes you feel better you can even hit me."

Katara pushed him away, to look at his face. All she could see was the outline of it. "I wont ever hit you," she promised, laying back against his chest. He sighed, as if relieved. Aang and Katara lay in silence for a few minutes, before she spoke up.

"I'm sorry for telling you not to come to the South with me. It's just, I didn't want you to see me like this in the first place and-"

"Don't worry about it at all." He assured her. "I understand how you're feeling, I've been through it."

"Aang," she whispered, kissing his chest and holding him against her tightly.


	6. Chapter 6

A.N: hi sorry this is a short chapter it's more of a filler tbh. next chapter will be aang's POV for reasons. i did u an angst katara thing but i promise after the next few chapters things will be more lighthearted ok! enjoy (i had a lot of feels writing this)

Katara had watched Aang drive away in his Satomobile, waving as he honked the horn at her. Once he left, she took her bags and threw them on the couch, laying there to wait for Sokka. She'd refused to eat despite Aang prompting her to. He cooked a meal with meat too, and all she did was stare and pick at it with her fork.

Sokka came to pick her up and they went down to the docks to board the boat. Katara fell asleep for half the ride, and the other half was spent staring out a port hole from her room because she was too afraid to face her upset brother. Once they arrived in the South, their father picked up the three. Suki had tagged along because Sokka made her, although she had only met Gran once or twice. She wanted to be there for support. She began regret telling Aang to stay back in Republic City, but tried her best to convince herself it was the right choice.

"How is she?" Sokka asked, sitting himself in the front of the Satomobile. Their father was quiet for a moment, and Katara expected the worst.

"She's not eating anymore, so they've hooked her up to a tube. It should be any day now." He said, keeping his eyes glued to the road. Sokka hit his hand against the dashboard.

"Why don't they put her out of her damn misery! Gran doesn't even know what's up and down anymore."

"Sokka," Suki whispered, leaning forward to put a hand on his chest. Sokka leaned back enough so she could, and he was quiet. Laying back in her seat, Katara stared up at the ceiling of the Satomobile.

"That's assisted suicide, Sokka." Katara muttered, blinking hard before diverting her eyes to stare directly at her hands, planted firmly in her lap.

"I know what it is, Katara." Sokka mimicked her voice, leaning his chin on his hand.

"That's enough, stop bickering at her like you're 15." Their father rose his voice before Sokka could finish speaking. Sokka quietly apologized, taking Suki's hand. Katara was right, she could definitely not break down in front of Sokka. He was hit very hard by this, and she couldn't burden him any more than he already was. The car ride was silent the rest of the way.

They reached the home that they grew up in with Gran, and Katara dropped her bag off in her old room. The last time she'd been here was when she was 14. Her father was relocated to Republic City when she was that age, and she decided that she wanted to move with him. Gran was upset, but Katara didn't seem to notice -care- as much as she did now. She'd wasted valuable time in Gran's life because she wanted to move to a big city, away from all the cold. They all went straight to the hospital that Gran stay at. When they entered and asked to see her, the nurse checked on the computer before looking back at Katara's father with an expression that she didn't want to see.

"She's in emergency surgery right now, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"We'll wait." He sounded exhausted. Katara put an arm around his torso, pulling him away from the front desk.

"Dad, you need rest." She said, sitting him down in one of the plastic chairs in the sitting room. Sokka and Suki were sitting across from them, Sokka had his head leaned against his wife. He was almost asleep, because he had been awake the entire boat ride over. Katara asked for some blankets, and gave one to her father and brother. She went to the coffee shop inside the hospital and grabbed a few hot caffeinated drinks. Suki had bags under bags, and her hair was messy. Katara handed her a coffee, and picked up the tea she got. Sokka was sleeping, and her father was awake, but barely.

"Yeah," she whispered. "Sleep. I'll wake you up when I hear something." She promised, watching him drift off to sleep.

After two hours and three teas later, a nurse came walking through the almost empty room. Katara stood up, making sure the half empty stale cup of tea was not in her hands. She cracked her knuckles, hearing her joints make disoriented snapping noises as she did it. Usually she only did that when she was nervous. This was one of those moments.

"Are you in relation to Kanna?"

"Yes," Katara nodded as she cleared her munged throat quickly. The olive skinned nurse sighed. "I'm sorry..." She murmured, placing a hand on her shoulder. "She didn't make it through this surgery."

Katara's lip quivered, but she held it in. "She went peacefully... right?"

The nurse nodded, assuring her that she did not feel a thing when she left. Katara nodded quickly, asking to be alone with her family to break the news. The nurse told her it would be better if she did it instead, but Katara would not hear it. Her entire family was asleep in the waiting room of a cold hospital. She sat beside her father, brushing some graying strands of hair out of his face.

"Sorry, daddy." She whispered, blinking hard to suppress the tears that pushed their way irritatingly.

"Katara?" Suki mumbled, rubbing her eyes. Without realizing, Suki shifted her weight onto the other side of the chair. While in the process of doing that, she also woke up Sokka. He stared blankly, looking at his surroundings for a moment. She looked over at them both, covering her mouth. Suki's eyes widened in horror, her face going paler than it already was. Sokka glanced up at Suki for a moment.

"Oh no," Suki whispered, looking down at Sokka.

Sokka was disbelieving of her, shaking his head a few times. "Did she really...?"

"Yes," Katara gasped, rubbing under her eyes quickly. Sokka let out a long breath, his eyebrows furrowing. "Gran..." He whispered, sitting upright. Suki rubbed his back as he began to cry. Sokka's face fell in his hands, and Katara had to look away to keep her composure. Her hand was shaking so much that she

"We need to leave," Katara said. She lightly shook her father, and he pounced awake. She tried to keep her best straight face as he watched her face.

"Oh, Katara." He mumbled sweetly, stretching his arms. The three fell silent as their father looked at each of their faces. His hands dropped to his lap as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Did she-"

"Yeah. I'm sorry." Was all Katara said. She stood up. "Come on, let's all get home and come back tomorrow when we wake up. We'll figure everything out, together."

Stiffly, her father stood up. His eyes were rimmed red, and he wouldn't look at Katara. She took him around the waist to help him walk, and even brought back the blankets at the front desk. Katara could definitely take care of them, it was the least she could do. Suki helped Sokka up and they got into the back of her fathers Satomobile. Katara made her father sit in the passenger seat, and she ended up driving back to their cabin like home. Once they got home, Katara helped her father to his bed, pulling off his shoes and jacket for him. She turned the heat on all throughout the cold, dark cabin. Sokka and Suki left for their room, closing the door behind them. Katara was left in the wooden appliance kitchen by herself. She wasn't hungry or even thirsty. She felt very...empty. No emotion shook her at the moment, but every few seconds Katara realized she was blanking out.

Her phone began to ring. It was Aang, and she remembered that it was 3 hours behind in Republic city.

When she answered, she didn't say anything for a moment.

"Katara?"

"Hello?" She whispered, basically jogging to the door of her room. She pushed the door open, closing it behind her quickly. It was small, wooden, like everything else. It was at the front of her house, beside the bathroom. No one could hear the conversations behind her walled room because of how thick the walls were.

"How are you?" He asked. For a moment, she didn't say anything. Every time she tried to say something she almost began to cry. His voice was soft and she couldn't understand the sudden storm she felt inside of her chest. Katara laid back on her bed, hugging herself tightly with the phone held to her ear.

"Katara..." Aang murmured, his voice ringing through her ears like thunder roaring in the sky. She sighed into the phone, her breath unbalanced. Her chest heaved as she tried to remain as composed as she could. Katara shrugged like he could see her, rolling onto her back. There were posters all over the ceiling.

"She didn't... she..." Katara blinked hard, a tear escaping and rolling down to her ear. Quickly, she wiped it away. Katara couldn't hold it anymore. "Aang," she cried, wiping only one eye with her free hand. He didn't speak for a moment. It sounded like he wasn't breathing, either. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Aang whispered over and over into the phone as she cried. She couldn't see anything besides a blur of the things she tried to look at. She hugged herself again, wanting nothing but to see her grandmother for another moment.

"Come here, please. Please." She sobbed into the phone, waiting for his answer. Katara hated that she couldn't deal with things on her own. How useless could she get? Aang didn't say anything for a long moment, before answering her in the same soft voice he normally did. "I'll be there in a few days. I don't know where your cabin is. I'll take a plane."

"I'll pick you up, call me when you leave." She heaved.

"Okay," Aang promised. She didn't want him to stop talking to her, she felt like she couldn't breathe she was crying so hard.

"Keep talking," she pleaded to Aang, and he did. He said useless things, reciting his grocery list, talking instead of singing the lyrics to a song. Anything so she could just hear his voice. Finally, Katara hung up the phone and laid in her bed for a moment. What time was it? Checking her phone, it said 1 AM. She couldn't sleep, she couldn't. Her mind was fully awake but her body felt exhausted. She wasn't crying anymore but she felt emotionally screwed. How did anyone survive a loved ones death? How did she survive her mother, let alone grandmother?

She didn't remember her mothers face anymore, or her voice. She'd pushed all of that out of her mind in order to move past all the pain. Katara never truly found peace with herself, she just hated everyone, or that's what it seemed like. Her father had put her in therapy until she was 15, even then nothing could help her. Only when they suggested anti-depressant pills did he finally make sure that she never returned to that dull white room with a mismatched chair and tables and sand papery love seat.

Doing the same to Gran would just send Katara over the edge, she just knew it. Katara could not do this on her own. She needed help, and it just made her feel worse.


	7. Chapter 7

A.N: im sorry for another short chapter, its aang's pov! i will probably end up adding a few more of his chapters to fit into the story if need be. tbh if this was katara's POV it would make no sense at all so ENJOY BALD BABY! (promise no short chapter in chapter 8) ALSO, FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR!

her-grace-hylia is my URL! ok bye.

Aang arrived in the North, feeling exhausted from a mere 10 hour flight. He took his single bag and began to walk to the escalators. In the plastic chairs, a familiar man tail was sticking up from the crowd. Sokka looked up at Aang blankly, before standing up and shoving his hands deeply in his pockets. Aang gave a tight smile, and Sokka didn't return it.

"Where's Katara?" Aang asked. Sokka didn't seem to be noticing his surroundings.

Sokka snorted. "Not even happy to see me?" He tried to joke, and Aang rolled his eyes. "She's at the cabin, probably eating, sleeping. Finally."

"Finally?" He wondered aloud, wondering if he should be bothering Sokka with all of the questions. Sokka shrugged, guiding Aang out of the semi-busy airport.

"She hasn't eaten since the we boarded the boat. She's slept, but barely. Katara thinks I can't hear her crying in her room but I can. She's not very good at covering things up."

That didn't surprise him, for some reason. The day before she'd left he went to see her and she looked defeated. He could tell she was holding back, even after Katara had finished crying. He was worried about her, but didn't say anything else to Sokka. They left the busy airport together, walking stiffly as they tried not to fall on the icy path ways. It wasn't snowing, but the skies were grey and the ground filled with the white death traps. Sokka exhaled loudly, his breath looking like an icy cloud in the air as he walked through it. Aang picked up his small suitcase so he wouldn't have to drag it through the snow.

Once they reached his Satomobile they climbed in, and Aang hoisted his bag in the back, strapping himself into the seat beside Sokka. Once they began to drive, he was relieved to finally be warming up. Aang was going to apologize for the death of his grandmother, when Sokka opened his mouth.

"Why are you with Katara? She's my little sister. I would be fine with you dating any of the other girls I knew, _besides_ my sister."

"You've gotten really grouchy now that you're old," Aang noted, crossing his arms along his chest. Sokka didn't say anything, but his grip while holding onto the steering wheel was so tight that his knuckles grew to be a pale white color. Aang decided that he should not test Sokka. He didn't know if he could avoid the question, so he decided to answer it.

"I don't think of her as your sister, okay? She's someone important to me. I think she's funny, I think she's cute. How should I answer this? I like everything about her, and I like that she leans on me for support the most."

"Gross. Let's not talk about this anymore." He glanced over at Aang and offered a fake smile. Aang pretended he didn't notice and shone his own pearly whites as well. After a small while of silence, he looked over at Sokka again.

"I'm so, so sorry about your grandmother." Aang mumbled, leaning his head back into the seat. Sokka muttered a thanks, keeping his eyes firmly planted on the snowy road.

Driving seemed to take much longer than it did, but Aang knew they'd only been in the Satomobile for about 45 minutes, no longer. Aang grew nervous suddenly, keeping deadly silent as him and Sokka walked to the door of the cabin. He tried his best not to slip on the little patches of ice that had not been terminated by the salt, keeping his head cleared. This time was for Katara, and her family.

He'd known Sokka for about 5 years now, meeting him at the engagement party of his and Suki's. He'd only known Katara for over a month, but for some reason the connection between them was much stronger than what seemed to be with Sokka. Sure, they hung out a few times a month but that was only when Aang was really that bored. It was terrible to say, but that was how it was. Suki was like a sister to Aang, or she used to be. As both of them grew older, the two had grown apart and their relationship dulled out a bit. They still texted as much as they used too, except they seemed to keep things to themselves more often than not.

"I'm back, with Aang." Sokka announced dully, closing the door behind Aang. The cabin was toasty, and they slid their jackets off and hung them up. Aang pulled off his shoes at the door, and took off his scarf. He followed Sokka into what seemed to be the living room, where Suki, Katara and an unfamiliar man sat. All of them but Sokka stared at Aang in silence, and he picked up his free hand to wave it awkwardly at them.

"This is the one?" The man looked at Katara, and she nodded, standing up. Jerking her head, he followed her to what seemed to be her room. There was a tight single bed with light purple blankets and crayon drawings hung along her walls. In the corner was a desk that looked like it could barely fit even one of her legs under it. She took his bag and placed it beside the bed. Aang closed the door behind him, leaning against it. Her room was dark, even for him. Katara sat across from him, on the edge of her bed. Her eyes were rimmed red, and bloodshot. She looked like the last time she'd slept was about a week ago. He felt utterly terrible, because all he wanted to do was hold her and tell her everything was all right.

It wasn't, and he knew. He knew all too well. Aang was familiar with death, and has been since he was a teenager. He was inconsolable for what seemed like forever. Every person who tried their hardest to understand how he was feeling was just pushed away. After awhile, he just gave up and found things to fill the empty feeling he'd felt for years. Katara was probably the same, always promising that she was all right and would be strong for other people. She didn't know when it was alright to cry or let others take care of her. He knew that the last time she'd done that it was all in vain, because her mother was also well passed. She was traumatized, not allowing anyone to become too close to her. Aang felt as though he would be a hopeless effort in trying to soothe her fragile state.

"Aang," she finally spoke up, her voice raspy and quiet. She reached across the small space and took his thick sweater between two of her fingers, pulling him closer. He hesitated, picking up both of his hands. Aang wondered where he should put them, before finally resting them on her cheeks. She placed her other hand on is hip softly, keeping him planted between her legs. Slowly, he bent down on his knees before her and looked up at her face.

Katara sighed, pouting sadly. Her hands fell back to her sides, and she collapsed back on the bed weakly. Following her, he pulled her head onto his chest where they lay in her bed for who knows how long. She seemed to doze off after awhile of Aang holding her in silence.

Aang got up from the bed successfully without waking her, and tucked the covers over her body. She looked peaceful for a change, and he was a tad relieved to see it. He left her dark room, closing the door behind him only to be greeted by the man he'd seen before.

"Aang," He held out his hand. Aang took it, unsure of how to feel. "I'm Katara and Sokka's father, Hakoda. Nice to meet you."

Oh.

Aang blinked quickly for a moment, suddenly very aware of everything. Katara's father. The girl he was dating. That one. Her father. He had just been on a plane for hours, sleep deprived and not to mention probably a little smelly. He couldn't even remember the last time he brushed his teeth. Aang nodded, giving as warm a smile as he could give.

"You too. I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, son. How about I make us some coffee? You look a little tired."

Aang could taste it already. He followed Hakoda to the kitchen, and sat down in the bar stool on the island. It squeaked loudly when he sat upon it, so he thought twice about sitting there. It didn't break, so Aang saw no threat. He sat there anyway.

Hakoda handed him a mug of coffee, and Aang filled it with what he liked, milk, sugar. For a moment, they were silent as they enjoyed their coffee together. Aang wondered if he was going to get a conversation about Katara, or maybe a punch across the face. He noticed the way Hakoda looked at him while he tipped the mug against his lips and took a swig of the coffee. The glint in his eyes, the very handsome muscle flex on his right arm when Aang happened to stumble across his vision for over 2 seconds. He put the cup down, and Aang readied himself for the worst.

"How long have you and Sokka known each other?" Was all he asked. Aang wondered if he was just going to happen to bring up Katara in the process. Aang took a swallow of coffee before placing it down on the clean counter top.

"A few years. We get together from time to time."

Hakoda nodded, pursing his lips slightly. He seemed just as uncomfortable as Aang felt. Placing a hand on the counter, Hakoda leaned down a little to Aang's level.

"I'm glad you came, Aang. Katara is finally sleeping, within 20 minutes of your arrival. She's had herself cooped up in her room for hours, I was starting to think she might've done things to herself that a father should never even think. She finds some sort of comfort in you, I guess. Just don't mess it up with her, alright?"

Aang sighed, feeling warmed by his words. He was expecting much more than a pep talk from Katara's father, but was so happy it was just that. He smiled very suddenly at Hakoda, pulling the mug a little closer to him, placing his hands around the shaft to keep them warm. "I won't, sir. She's just as important to me as I am to her, it sounds."

"Good, good. I should probably threaten you or something, right? 'If you hurt my daughter, I'll hurt you ten times worse'. Does that sound threatening?"

They were both very lighthearted, which is something Aang thought everyone needed when there had been such a grave incident among the household. Hakoda pat Aang on the shoulder, his face suddenly solemn.

"You're sleeping on the couch."


	8. Chapter 8

A.N: hey, so for this chapter i made up a little bit of the stuff and im sorry for this but it works with my story better!enjoy the longer chapter yay! also im sorry for not updating very much the past few days, but ill try to write as much i can. ive been busy w/ school so sorry sorry.

Katara woke up, her eyes burning. It was as light as it normally got out in the Water Tribes. She pushed her almost translucent shades out of the way of the window, staring out of it, right across to another cabin which was almost identical to the one she was in right now. She sighed, shivering. Katara slid another sweater over her already thick shirt and went over to her phone. 5 AM. Really?

She put her phone down, sneaking over to her door and cracking it open. The living room was right outside of the room, and she didn't know if she could make it to the kitchen walking past Suki and Sokka's room. The floor creaked terribly, and she was fully aware of it. Where was Aang? She thought, opening the door fully. She slid out of her room, creeping past the black leather sofa. A head poised up from where it was, looking over at her with soft hazel grey eyes. Stopping in her tracks, Katara stared at Aang for a moment when he sat up.

He didn't say anything as he got up, just walking over to her with a serious looking face. When he was right in front of her, Aang collected her in his arms tightly, holding her against him. She was in shock, but let him hold her.

"Why... did you sleep on the couch?"

"Funny story." He muttered, rubbing the top of his head. Katara pulled away to look at his face. Before they could say anything, her dad walked out of the kitchen to greet them. Katara pushed his hands off of her. Aang almost stumbled back but quickly composed himself.

"Good morning, I'm glad you slept, Katara."

"Yeah," she nodded, walking past him into the kitchen. Her father followed Katara, and so did Aang. Hakoda began to flip what looked like pancakes in the sizzling pan.

"Making some pancakes," he noted, trying to sound up beat. She didn't really care about food still, but her stomach made the loudest noise she'd ever heard as she sat down at the island bar. Katara didn't look at anyone.

"Katara, her funeral will be tomorrow, okay? That's what you wanted to know, huh? Here, eat something light. I'll make some tea, the way you like it." He was trying so hard to please her, and she knew exactly why. Hakoda didn't want to see Katara fall back into the same state she was in when her mother had died. She lost 25 pounds within a month and grew sickly because of it. She was hospitalized for only a week and then kept in intense therapy, everyday of the week. It lightened as she grew older because she was nicely accustomed to hiding the way she felt and became a fierce liar when it came to things like that.

"I was thinking about taking a walk to see mom's grave. Right now. Alone." She made sure to exaggerate her being alone.

"How about I come?" He asked, desperately staring into her eyes. Katara shook her head. "Sokka and Suki will probably be hungry when they wake up. I want to go see her grave. They won't."

She got up then, despite his protests. He didn't know Katara was trying her best to find things that could make her feel better. Although it had only been a few days, she was trying. Perhaps talking to her mother would make her feel better, even if she couldn't hear the reply. The last time she saw her mother's grave was also the first time she saw it, when she was being buried. Will I even remember where it is? She left the side of Aang and ignored the disapproving tone of her fathers as she closed her bedroom door and threw on some clothes. Instead of fixing her hair she just put a beanie and hood over it. She got out of her room, went to the door and slid on her boots. Katara left quickly without telling anyone. The snow wasn't melting, but it was lighter this year. Fortunately enough for her, the cemetery was not far away from their cabin. Living in the middle of a large land was the only perk to where their cabin was residing. Nobody seemed to be out, except for a few people. They walked along the sidewalks peacefully, some holding onto the others arms, others walking alone. People didn't seem to recognize her, but she knew every one of their faces.

She didn't hate it here, truly. Despite the traumatizing memories she held in the back of her brain, Katara had also been given many happy memories that filled her with joy when she thought of them. She would never forget the good memories she had here, but probably wouldn't forget the grave ones, either. As she walked down the long streets of her old hometown, she reminisced in her memories, walking past diners and fast food restaurants her family would dine in from time to time. Some of the buildings were new, some old. Where her old middle school was, there was now an apartment building. The abandoned tower Katara and Sokka used to play tag in was now demolished, with nothing left except an electricity pole in its wake. She let out a breath, pulling her gloves farther down her hands. Katara remembered all of the street names, and even some of her old friends phone numbers now that she thought of it. The house at the end of her street was where she met her best friend, but soon enough they'd broken their friendship apart because of how far apart they grew when Katara told her she was leaving to Republic City

Finally, she could see the cemetery up the hill, with a low cement lining around the entire perimeter of the yard, guarding it as if it were a fence. Nude trees covered the outer lining as well, probably making it more private for those paying their respects.

Katara never liked visiting cemeteries because it was always eerie, and she thought death hung heavily in the air. Her father was no superstitious man, and neither was she. Katara walked up the profoundly salted stairs that were built steep. _How could elderly climb these without any help_? There wasn't even any railing. Once she reached the top of the stairs, Katara racked her brain, remembering where her mothers grave lay in the cold earth. _She deserves better_, Katara thought furiously as she approached the wet grave. With her jacket sleeve, Katara wiped it as dry as she could, but it still dripped.

**Here Lies Kya**, the tombstone read. It also said the date of her birth and her death, and had **A Loving Mother** carved into it. She kneeled, holding onto the tomb for support as she stared at it for what seemed like a long time to her. Katara didn't feel the least bit embarrassed as she began to whisper to the tomb her mother lay under.

"Hi, mom." She tried to smile, looking at the ground. Katara was shivering, as she was not used to the cold like she used to be. _So much has changed, since I was last here_.

"Gran is gone," she got to the point right away. Katara couldn't look up at the engraved letters on the cement, afraid as if it were actually her mother. "I didn't get to see her, I was too caught up in useless things. You always used to tell me that, Mom. That I didn't notice my surroundings until they changed. Sometimes better and sometimes worse. I've always... I've always remembered."

She was crying, and it felt like someone was pouring cold water on her cheeks. Quickly, she wiped them away and looked at the cement, trying not to blink. "I'm sorry, that I haven't visited you until now. I was trying my best to forget everything. It took me this long and the death of Gran to realize that I can't and I won't! I miss you so much. Why did you die but that man get to live? Even if he's behind bars he does **not** deserve to live, no matter what the court says."

Gasping in a breath, Katara closed her eyes, trying to regain her breath. She grew dizzy from talking so quickly like that. She opened them, staring still. _Let everything out_, is probably something her mother would tell her. _You'll feel better after_.

"I promised that I would take care of Sokka and dad but now I can't even do that without wanting to cry every minute. I haven't eaten, but I'm afraid I'll get sick again. Seeing dad try his best to make me feel better was scary, I feel like I'm turning back into the person I wish didn't exist. Mom, I wish I could hear your voice. You always helped me, no matter what the problem was."

Her eyes burned as she held back the tears the best she could. She lightly slapped her hand against the cement, making a smack noise. "I don't want anyone to leave me anymore! I'm so tired of this."

When she looked up, a woman was standing there leaning on a cane. Katara almost fell back, holding tightly onto the slippery tombstone.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, dear. I just thought you might need this," she handed Katara a handkerchief, nearly folded with pretty lace rimming it. Katara stood up, and she realized how much taller she was than the elder woman. She nodded, wiping under her eyes and keeping it tightly held into her palm.

"Thank you, ma'am." She whispered, unable to speak very clearly.

She took Katara's free hand, patting it gently. "I knew your grandmother very well. We played Pai Sho from time to time. You look very much like she used to when she was a girl. How lovely you are. I also knew your mother, and her mother as well. I'm sorry, dear, so sorry. They both loved you and your brother very much. They will always watch you, as though they are the Moon spirit themselves. Rest easy, knowing this."

Katara was happy to hear those words, very pleased to hear even a stranger knew of their fondness towards her family. She thanked her weakly, and walked her back to where she lived. They said their farewells, Katara thanking her again for the handkerchief before walking back home

On the way back home, she pondered what the woman said. Tenderly, she placed her gloved fingers on her choker. The necklace was her mothers before she died, and before that it was merely just wood that her father carved to propose to her mother with. Some how, she felt lighter now that she had spoken to her mother directly, and that mysterious woman as well. She helf the handkerchief close to her, keeping it tightly intertwined around her fingers.

She returned home, freezing and stiff. Closing the door behind her, Katara kicked off her boots and threw off all of her wet clothes at the door, leaving them there to run to her room. Before she could, she was stopped by Aang. He had his arms crossed, staring at her like an unimpressed parent. When he was done with the irritated glare, Aang held out a hand and she took it.

"You're freezing! Come on, let's go make you something hot to drink. I'll get you blankets, okay? Sit on the sofa."

"Aang, no." Katara whispered, pulling him out of the way of the living room, and back into the mudroom. She wrapped her arms around his torso, leaning her head against his chest. The sound of his heart beat was soothing, and she loved it. For a moment he was shocked, before both of his arms wound around her and held her tightly. His lips pressed against her head, and she closed her eyes.

They finished their moment of affection before Katara followed him to the kitchen. Her father was there with Sokka, but Katara was told that Suki was still asleep. It was just passing 11 AM, and she could understand that her sister in law was exhausted. Sokka's hair was sticking up in different directions, and the bags under his eyes were incredibly dark, she could barely even make out his waterline. Feeling light, she hugged her brother around the neck where he sat. He flinched, sitting up and hitting his head against hers. Both of them recoiled, Katara holding her temple and Sokka's hand rubbing the back of his head.

"Ahhh, sorry, sorry." Sokka waved his hand as if he were a robot, and he spared a glance in her direction.

"Mm, no it's fine." She muttered, sitting beside him. Aang wasn't looking at them, but his body was shaking of laughter, probably. Her father's smile grew wide and he chuckled a little.

"Are you feeling a little better after seeing your mother?" Her father wondered, looking up from his plate of pancakes. He ate slowly.

"What?" Sokka almost shouted, receiving 2 shut up's and a be quiet from the other three. He slunk back into himself, blinking hard and yawning tiredly.

"Yeah, and Sokka I saw mom's grave, that's it. Dad, I think I do feel better. It... I'm sorry. I won't act like that anymore."

He pouted slightly, giving baby polar bear dog eyes to Katara. She smiled, shaking her head quickly. "I'm also pretty hungry."


	9. Chapter 9

A.N: i dont know. i seriously have no idea what im doing anymore. im trash, take this trash chapter. trash author outie.

Katara threw her bag down the moment she got inside her house, sighing loudly as she kicked her door shut. Finally home, after two weeks of spending it grieving her grandmothers death. She could not longer try to come to terms with her feelings peacefully, because she was back into the bustle of the big city. Even her father was back, back in his home after a long awaited two months away from his kids.

The first thing Katara did was ring up her boss, promising to arrive at work and get her job done, and he was very thankful the only hardworking soul was returning back to the hellhole she was escaping. She would work hard for him, but also because he normally allowed her to take an extra ten minute break.

She didn't know if she would truly get over the deaths of loved ones, but she'd learned to accept it. People died, and the faster she realized it happened quite often would she heal quicker and be able to get on with her life. The funeral was quiet, very many people did show up to bring their condolences but scattered just as quickly as they had arrived. Death was feared by everyone.

Katara took the hottest shower she could ever imagine, feeling the boiling water run down her back and over her breasts and wash away the feeling of her recent problems. Her stress level was already rising, thinking about going back to work and how much she had missed. Obviously, there would be so much chatter with her non-existent relationships with her co-workers...

They didn't care about her, just as she cared very little about them. They all learned to despise her because of how quickly she rose to the top. Katara was younger than all of them, but more active in finishing the projects she received, and trying her hardest to help improve everything she possibly could. All the others did was watch videos online and check their social media websites.

Once out of the shower, Katara blow dried her hair and brushed it out. She slid on some jeans and a casual shirt, before putting on some easy to move in tennis shoes and leaving her house. She was tired, but it didn't matter much to her. Katara felt utterly naked without any make up on, but she was only going over to Aang's to surprise him. Of course, she packed an overnight bag. He said he didn't mind her just showing up, so that is what she would do. They took different flights home, so she hadn't seen him for a few days.

She drove in silence over to his place, feeling a sense of relief once she saw his house. She parked in his driveway beside the two Satomobiles. Wait, two Satomobiles?

Katara got out of her own Satomobile, picking up her bag and jumping up the steps. Who else could possibly be there? It wasn't Sokka or Suki's Satmobiles. It didn't have a plate that she seemed to recognize. Katara tapped on the door, and the one who opened it was a girl, who looked like Ty Lee? She wasn't, because of the differently shaded hair. She was a dark blonde, with a wide grin on her face.

"Who is it?" She heard Aang ask. The girl turned towards his voice, shrugged. "A girl,"

"Katara," Katara said loudly, staring at the girl confusedly.

"Oh, she said she's Katara." The girl said.

Aang got up and went to the door, the Ty Lee look alike moved aside back into his house. "Hey," he let her in, moving out of the way.

He eyed her bag and smiled. "You're gonna stay the night?"

"Can I?"

"Yes. Yeah, of course." He let her in, closing the door behind her and taking her bag. "Be right back." Aang breathed, jumping up the steps.

The Ty Lee look alike was in the kitchen looking through Aang's fridge and eating his food. Katara awkwardly wondered what the hell was going on as she leaned against the dining table.

"Are you Aang's friend?" She wondered, with her mouth full of food. Her hair had a long braid going down her back, and she wore a leather jacket and a pair of jeans. She was very skinny, with small feet, but a little taller than Katara.

"Yeah, I'm Aang's friend." Katara looked at her, trying to pin down who she was.

"Okay, nice."

Who was she? She seemed dimwitted and slow to realize things. Katara had no time to ask, because Aang was back down the stairs and sliding past the girl to get into his fridge. He looked up, glancing at Katara, who was studying the girl, who was thoughtfully staring at Aang.

"Want something to eat? I'm going to make dinner."

"Sure." Katara didn't look at him.

Aang stepped in front of Katara, forcing her to look at him. "Have you guys met?" He asked.

"No," they both said in unison. He stepped back against the counter, a smile growing on his face. Aang pointed towards the girl, and then at Katara.

"Thalia, Katara. There, you've met."

Katara placed a hand on her chin, as if to ponder where she heard the name.

"How do you know Aang?" She asked Thalia, who looked over at Aang to glare at him before averting her eyes towards Katara, giving a smile.

"I'm his sister."

...Sister? Aang never mentioned having any more family, let alone a sister. She was shocked and confused, looking over at Aang for help. He had his arms crossed and he was rolling his eyes.

"**Adoptive sister**. Sorry, never mentioned that did I? When I got into the fight with Shoji, I told you I moved out, right? Yeah, I moved in with her family. You know, Ty Lee, Thalia, the rest of the girls..."

"All you mentioned was moving away once you turned 18."

Thalia snorted, playing with her braid. "Just like Aang, only telling things he thinks people need to know. He moved in with us when he was 17, once he turned 18 though he was gone. My parents adopted him, but it was like he wasn't even part of our family. Well, there are other reasons but you know, that's what we tell everyone." She winked at Aang, and he went back to cooking. _Gross_, Katara thought, standing up.

"You're still a vegetarian, Aang? Glad that I showed you a new light." She was flirting with Aang. _Wait, Katara. You're totally acting up, they're related by law_. She told them she was going to the bathroom, before leaving the kitchen and flying up the stairs. Katara was not thinking, just acting. She nabbed her bag quickly, pulling it into the restroom with her. She threw on some light make up, and flushed the toilet, pretending like she had been in there for the actual purpose she had made it sound like. Leaving the washroom, Katara threw the bag down in the same spot Aang put it in and went downstairs. Thalia eyed Katara, and she realized that this girl was not as dimwitted as she seemed, not at all.

"You took awhile." She noted to Katara, resting her head in her hands. Katara rolled her eyes, sitting across from her. "That's not your problem now, is it?" She replied, crossing her leg on the other one. Aang put a plate in front of her, and in front of Thalia, before sitting down with his own plate.

"Why does it feel so tense in here, like I can seriously cut the atmosphere with my hand."

"Aang, you look like a dork swatting your hand around in the air." Thalia laughed, taking a bite of her food. Katara was quiet, just watching how Aang reacted. He looked like a little kid while replying to her.

"But wouldn't it be cool, to like, be able to move air? Amazing. Wow." He took a bite as well, totally glued to her.

She laughed, a high pitched musical one. Katara was stuffing her face to act like she couldn't talk. Really, she was just restraining herself from pulling her own hair out.

"No, more like fire! Wouldn't it be cool to just punch _fireballs_ from your hand?" Thalia made a fist and punched it to the ceiling. They were both laughing.

That was how dinner ended up, just the two of them talking to each other about being able to move things like rock and water. Katara had to admit, moving water seemed to be a cool concept, but most people (like Sokka) would probably have nothing of it. Too bad the world didn't work like that, everything would be so much cooler.

Thalia had made it known that she would be sleeping on Aang's couch, because she was only visiting him and her sister, Ty Lee. Katara didn't want to stay, but she also felt uneasy leaving Aang and Thalia on their lonesome after hearing the things she was saying to him.

Katara and Aang crawled into bed together, but she didn't touch him. Aang pulled her body against his, nuzzling his head into the back of her neck. They spooned in silence for a minute, until Katara turned to him.

"Did you guys have sex?"

"Who?" Aang asked quietly, sounding absolutely dumbfounded. Katara was quiet for a minute, hearing Aang sprout a little _oh_, before going back into silence.

"Yes." She could feel him nodding into her, and Katara didn't know if she was being overly possessive if she asked anymore. Aang pressed his hand to her waist, moving it up her shirt, beginning to kiss her neck. She wasn't having any of it, the suspense pushing her into a wall and threatening to choke her. She pushed him off, leaning over him in the darkness. Katara could only see an outline of Aang, but the moon lightly shone through the curtains and she saw his eyes staring at her.

"Katara, just ask what you want to know already." He sighed, moving his face so he could look towards the window. She rolled of of him, laying beside him on her back.

"How many times?"

"4."

"But you guys are siblings." Katara muttered, thinking about Sokka grossly. Ew.

"By law, not blood. I had sex with all 6 of them, too."

Katara sat up, staring at him with wide eyes. "Seriously?" She almost shouted in amazement. There's six Ty Lee's?

"Yeah, but Asuna was the one I had sex with the most."

"Asuna?"

"Yeah, she was the youngest of the 6 even when they're all born the same day. Apparently."

Katara was laughing, lightly tapping Aang's shoulder with her fist. He sat up and kissed her forehead. "How many times?"

"Over 12, I think."

"Seriously, wow. Gross."

"They all look the exact same, I could never tell them apart." Aang admitted, shrugging before he laid back down. Katara followed him, laying down in his arms and letting him kiss her neck.

"Are you going to try and have sex with me after telling me those things?" She accused, her hand rubbing his back lightly.

"You asked, not my fault. Do you not want too?"

Katara didn't answer, and she moved closer to him. His hand went up her shirt and found a spot on her breast, lightly groping them. Aang got on top of her, and she spread her legs apart so he could fit better. Their lips found each others, and his trailed lightly down her jaw and to her throat. Katara stirred restlessly under him, her hands pulling at his clothes.

The next thing she knew, they were both half naked, kissing intensely. Aang rubbed himself against her, and her hands slid under his boxers, feeling his butt. Tight and perfect.

"Mm, Aang. Take off all your clothes." She grunted, pulling down his boxers herself. He slid them to his ankles and proceeded to dump them off the edge of the bed. His lower body was under the covers, and he lay on top of her. Her panties were slid off and discarded shorty after his own boxers were off. She was spreading her legs farther apart, but he kept on rubbing. Teasing was a mean thing.

"Condom." He muttered, reaching over to his drawer and opening it. He snatched a condom and put it on quickly. He truly was an expert. Katara hated him for it. He intertwined their hand together, using his other elbow to prop himself up. Aang slid into Katara slowly, pumping in and out at a nice pace. She began to gasp, keeping herself quiet. Katara had to be reminded that there was someone downstairs sleeping, and they were right above the living room. His lips were on her breasts, biting and suckling hungrily and she laid her head back into the pillows, arching her back as she held his head against her. Aang propped her up on his lap, and she began to move with him, harder than before. He stared up at her, his hands supporting her back as she took all of him inside of her. Katara couldn't help but moan quietly as that was happening.

She rested both of her hands on his shoulders, using circular motions to thrust on him. Aang was whispering unintelligible things into her ear, but his warm breath and raspy voice made her feel hotter. His hands moved to her hips, helping her thrust. The way Aang looked at Katara sent a thrill through her body, pushing him down on the bed. Her hands went down to his stomach, the other moving to their own areas. She watched him for a moment, trying her best to stay as quiet as possible, before beginning to touch herself.

Aang wouldn't look away from it. She could feel his reaction inside of her, and she slowed her pace to mess with him.

"Rude," he whined, his hands firmly pressing to her hips again and moving her.

Thalia opened the door.

Katara gasped, and Aang got up, shielding her body from Thalia.

"What the hell? Get out!" He shouted, and Thalia shrieked, slamming the door shut behind her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was wondering what was going on! I'm sorry-"

"Go away, Thalia! Now!" Aang was angry. Katara got off of him, and he leaned over her.

"I'm sorry, she probably didn't see you. Did I hurt you at all?"

Katara slid under the covers, shaking her head quickly. "No, I'm fine. Come here, it's okay. I think you need more comforting than me." She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he collapsed onto her chest. He lay between her legs, both of them naked. He took off the condom and threw it in the trash.

Aang had an uncomfortable expression on his face when he laid back down on her. She asked if he was alright.

"Yeah, I've just got major blue balls now."


	10. Chapter 10

A.N: next chapter is an aang chapter (yay!) sorry things seem to be slowing down? im trying to put some excitement into the next few chapters, promise! enjoy this chapter muah. (ALSO THANK U FOR OVER 1,500 VIEWS! wow im so excited ilu all!) i've decided to post chapters twice a week instead of every 2/3 days. im going to try and aim for tuesday and friday/saturday. i want to make the chapters longer and better than usual and i want to thank u all for ur amazing comments they inspire me to do better than before! ( ˘ ³˘) (also sorry for the late update im rly sorry sorry sorry)

She opened her eyes, the sound of her alarm blaring under the pillow she lay on. Katara sat up, feeling a chill as the blankets fell from her shoulders. She pressed off the alam and Aang shifted his body to turn around to her, putting his arm around Katara's waist.

"Don't," he mumbled, pulling her into him. She grinned stupidly, turning her body to face him. Katara placed both of her hands on his face, squishing it together. He looked like a baby hamster.

"Cute," she noted, kissing his squished nose and getting up. He tried to pull her back in, but she didn't let him. "Can I shower here?" She wondered, and he nodded, waving her off. Aang turned back over in his blankets, pulling them tighter around himself. She smiled at him, before taking her bag and skipping off into the bathroom. Last night they had been interrupted rudely by his adoptive sister Thalia, but she didn't mind much. Aang, on the other hand, was mad and not to mention grumpy.

She took a shower and got herself ready for work, getting out of the bathroom to meet Aang, who was getting up to put some clothes on. Katara came up behind him and put her arms around his naked body.

"It's cold today," He yawned, and she did as well.

Katara nodded. "Yeah."

"Will you stay for breakfast?"

"No, I'm gonna go stop by Kyoshi Coffee to get some caffeine before work. I have no time to eat breakfast here. Sorry." She kissed him, and he kissed her back. His hands found her neck and hers wound around his waist. Katara pulled away quickly, and let him finish getting dressed before leaving the room. She checked the time on her phone and found that she was running a bit later than usual. It didn't matter much, because Kyoshi Coffee was just around the corner and her work on the next street. Katara had time.

As she walked down the stairs, Thalia met her at the bottom. She eyes Katara, scowling a bit.

"I'm sorry," she said, slinking back into herself. Katara shrugged nonchalantly as if signifying _oh well, shit happens_.

After this, Katara didn't really mind leaving the two alone in their house. She said her goodbyes and left the house.

Work had finally finished, but it seemed to drag on forever. The only reason she truly showed up was because she was making money. When she was younger, Katara wished to be a professional swimmer, but after she left her home for Republic City she realized that she was never going to have that dream come true. Katara decided to pursue something better than that, so she chose government jobs, where she makes over 27 dollars an hour.

She arrived and grabbed some milk tea from Kyoshi coffee, leaving to her work quickly.

The day dragged on, but once it was over she was relieved. She went home, her real home. It was quiet, but she rather liked it. Aang had texted her throughout the day, so he knew that she would be at home. Thalia had left and Katara felt a little bad leaving him alone, but he promised that it was okay. Soon, his teaching job would begin, and Katara would have no time to be with him ever.

For awhile, all she did was sit on her sofa and watch TV, before her phone began to sing the song of Suki's ringtone. After the second ring, Katara answered.

"Hello?" She asked, pausing the movie she was in the middle of.

"Katara! What did you get Aang for his birthday?" She wondered loudly. Katara froze as quickly as the movie had. Birthday? When?

"What?" Katara whispered, changing her phone to the other ear, standing up quickly. "When?"

Suki didn't reply for a minute, until she was louder than ever. "What? You didn't know? Aang is dumb, it's tomorrow Kat."

Katara was sliding on shoes, still in her work outfit. She had to get him a present, but what? She touched her necklace gingerly, she knew exactly what.

Once she reached the mall, she had already gotten off the phone with Suki. It was only a matter of time before the mall closed, so she knew she had to hurry. The first shop she saw, she scurried too. Nothing.

After three shops, Katara had finally found a few things Aang might like, but didn't buy them because of uncertainty. When she reached the fourth shop, her eyes stopped on something that made her take a second glance.

It was wooden, a necklace. The beads were all wood, but the one in the middle that hung down the longest was engraved beautifully with three marks that resembled 6's, but she knew they were ancient tradition for nomads who used to live on four mountains. She snatched it quickly, remembering the time that Aang had told her his ancestry dated back to them. He loved things like this, and she was going to get it for him. Katara bought it, and bagged it. She decided to stop by a dollar store to buy some birthday wrappings and a card for him.

When she arrived home, she wrapped it quickly. What she was really worried about was what to write in the card. Why did it matter, it's not like he would keep it longer than a month, Katara. She briskly tapped her pen on her kneecap, pondering and growing anxious as her wall clock ticked nervously along with the beat of her pen. What do you write in birthday cards besides happy birthday from said person? This was different, this was someone she cared about. Her pen dropped on the floor after she accidentally flung it against her knee and it bounded off. Cursing, she picked it up and hit her head on her table. Katara was not having very much fun. _It's a damn birthday card_!

All she wrote was Happy Birthday, Love from Katara, closed it quickly and dropped it in the envelope. She got up, and made herself some dinner. After eating, she stared guiltily at her stove. Aang did love macaroons...

But she had no idea how to make them. Quickly, her fingers went to typing on her phone a recipe to make macaroons and she got to work.

The first attempt failed, and she realized that her second would as well unless she went down to the convenience store and bought more ingredients. After a third and final attempt, it was far past 9 and she was tired. She decorated them and packaged them as nicely as she could, before going up to her closet and throwing her clothes in a worn and ripped clothing basket. She hopped in the shower for a bit, before getting out and using a blow dryer to dry her hair nicely. By the time she was done it was 10, and she returned to her bedroom in pajamas.

She plucked her phone from her purse in the corner of the room before laying back on her bed. Aang was only 24 now, but tomorrow he'd be turning 25. Her phone had a text and missed call from him. She checked the text, and it read can I see you tomorrow after work?

**Yeah, sure**. She texted back nonchalantly, wondering if he would tell her its his birthday tomorrow.

He didn't though.

**Okay, how about we go to dinner and see a movie?**

**Sounds great, I'll be there after work.**

**Okay, bring your overnight bag and stay the night. Please?**

Katara smiled at her phone, feeling her palms grow a little damp and her heart race a little faster before she nodded to herself in satisfaction and replying with a simple okay. They both said their good nights and she fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

A.N: ok so basically i have writers block and could use some suggestions b/c ive been getting like comments saying that this story is getting eh? ok sorry. message my tumblr (her-grace-hylia) if you have any ideas for the next chapters b/c if not ill end this story soon lol... ok... enjoy aang chapter!

Aang yawned, sitting up. It was the weekend, and the summer was slowly coming to an end. He would begin his true job soon, but he hadn't found it in himself to tell Mrs. Beifong that he could no longer be around for all of Toph's art showings. He got up from bed, and dressed quickly. Katara would be coming out with him tonight, so maybe it was time to clean up the house a bit. He checked his phone for any messages, but there was none. Aang decided to quickly text Katara that she should arrive around 4 PM.

He hadn't seen a lot of Katara lately, and that was because of many reasons. For example, he'd been unable to take much time off school or he'd fall behind. He was working in a classroom of a high school as well, and since it didn't have anything to do with illness or family complication he was given a distinct timeline to follow. It was that, and Katara had also prodded him to leave, because she didn't want him to take time off for her. He promised it was no big deal but she had some complex of always being independent even if she needed support. It wasn't a problem with him, but he just wished she would take a load off herself sometimes. She seemed to be doing much better, not dwelling as much on the past as she did while in her hometown.

He didn't quite know what had set her off into becoming herself again, but whatever it was, Katara had returned home one morning with a lighter expression (and an appetite).

Aang rose from his bed and took a shower, getting dressed and going downstairs to make breakfast. Thalia was still there, but she was nowhere in site. The sofa she'd decided to commandeer looked like a pig pen from hell, pillows on the floor, her blanket strewn messily across the coffee table and even a few shirts on the back of the sofa. Her bag was open on the floor with clothes sticking out from every corner. Aang was getting fed up with it, but he didn't know how to tell her to back off. Just the other night, Thalia had made herself a little too comfortable and walked in on him and Katara. He threw it behind them, but it didn't help that she brought it up every five minutes.

He decided not to search the already small house for her, but instead make breakfast for himself. As he was about to sit down with his omelette and orange juice when the front door opened and shit loudly. He placed his plate down and turned the corner of the dining room over to the living room, which was just off of the front door. Thalia dropped her purse down where ever she pleased (the floor, of course). She was holding another bag, with multi-colored tissue wraps sticking out from it. On the bag, it had streamers curled to perfection dangling off the straps. Thalia had the largest smile Aang had ever seen, and she clapped her hands together. He felt annoyed, but smiled too.

"Happy birthday!" She thrust the bag in his face, and it swung back and forth dangerously, smacking him square in the nose a few times. Thalia decided not to notice. He took the bag, looking up at her with amusement. He noted that the bag was heavier than it looked. How did she carry this?

"You shouldn't have," he didn't sound as amused as he looked. Scratch that, he probably didn't look that amused, either.

"No, just open it."

He sighed, "no, you really shouldn't have."

Placing both hands on her hips, Thalia glowered at him. "Open the bag, idiot."

When he did, he realized that the weight was because of all the things in it. There seemed to be a photo album, a bag of candy, and a red headband. Aang swept aside the blanket off of the coffee table, and put the bag on it. Quickly, he glanced up at Thalia, who prodded him to look further into the bag. He took out the headband, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at it.

"It's the one you wore at school, remember? You left it at home when you left. Not to mention everything else."

He did remember. He got in trouble when he'd attended with that on. The only reason he truly wore it was because of the tattoo's he'd gotten. At that school, they had no tolerance for the tattoo's he'd gotten at around the age of 11. His culture was the reason, but they still didn't accept it. Now that he thought of it, Aang was offended and a little bewildered that a group of adults had decided that a culture didn't deserve to be appreciated because it wasn't their own.

Aang laughed suddenly, feeling a rush of emotions. These emotions were running through his head along with the memories they shared when he was young. The reason he'd left all of his things at the house was because he didn't want to remember. He was older, now, and much more understanding. It was dumb of him to try and forget his past, thinking that it wouldn't come to haunt him if he just left everything. It was true, it didn't haunt him. But it made him remember things he wished he didn't forget in the first place.

He gingerly placed the headband on the table, and Thalia made him sit on the sofa after pushing everything of hers aside. She sat beside him, scrounging through the bag and handing him the photo album. The front of it said Aang in sparkly orange letters, and there was a picture of him with his parents on the front. He swallowed hard, feeling a sudden frog form in his throat as he opened the rough around the edges album. They were pictures of him when he was a baby, up until the year his parents were killed.

There was no lack of pictures of him in that album, but there was a lack of his parents. He'd tried so hard to forget what they looked like, only to be reminded of his entire childhood. His beautiful mother, and amazing father. Aang missed them so much.

He didn't realize that he'd begun to cry until a few tears landed on the sticky tape holding the photo's in the book. Thalia gave him a sympathetic squeeze of the shoulder when she realized he was crying. Brushing his hands along his cheeks to rid the tears, Aang closed the book and placed it down on the table in front of him. The letters that read Aang glittered in the light above him.

They sat in silence together as Aang regained composure of himself. He didn't know how long he was in a trance before his phone began to ring dully. He fished out his phone and answered it mid ring.

"Hello?" He asked.

The voice on the other side was quiet for a moment, before her loud ringing voice shot through the other end. "Hello? Aang, honey? Tonight Toph has an art show and I need you to work! Is it all right to call you so last minute? It starts at 4. I'll pay you extra, in cash. Some other guards decided to call in sick, and now I'm stuck with lack of staff! Please come."

He had to pull the phone away from his ear, and even then her voice still chirped loudly in the air. Thalia got up and went to the kitchen, understanding that the moment of fondness was over. He put the phone against his ear again and was nodding along to her voice although she couldn't see it.

"Hello, Mrs. Beifong." He said uneasily. He'd also meant to quit, but tonight could be his last night. In all actuality, he just didn't want to hear her endless complaining as to how Toph would be so unhappy that one of her best friends would no longer be working. It was a lot to deal with, but sooner rather than later Aang had to deal with it.

"So, can you?" She snapped at him, breathing heavily into the phone. "Of course," he muttered.

She thanked him, but he hung up mid sentence. He strolled into the kitchen after glancing at the photo album once more and found Thalia eating his omelette. Aang decided to shrug it off, but he was still unhappy, and hungry.

"Who was that annoying voice?" She wondered, her mouth full. Aang karate chopped the back of her head. "Don't speak with your mouth full, rich girl." He snapped at her, smiling. Aang sat down, running his hands along his bear head. "It was Toph Beifongs mom. She wants me to work tonight."

"Okay, and?" She asked, swallowing loudly. Aang distastefully looked away from her, rolling his eyes in the process. "I said I would. She'll pay me extra- Shit, Katara!"

He stood up quickly, hands balling to fists as he began to pace around the room. Thalia stood up, hitting his leg with the back of the hair. It hurt, but he didn't seem to notice. Maybe he didn't care.

"What? Stop running, you're in a kitchen, and it's not even 12:00 yet. Your neighbors will be upset if they wake up to a bald person yelling about their girlfriend."

"Shut up, Thalia. I need to tell Mrs. Beifong I can't work tonight." He picked up his phone. It was a good 50 minute drive up to their manor, which was why Toph didn't like to visit very much. He couldn't drive up there to tell her himself that he couldn't work. They lived on the top of a mountain, and it amazed Aang how they even let Toph out into the gated area without fear she was going to drive herself off of the cliff out of frustration. It was no petty mistake that Toph hated her family, but people just decided that they showed affection in different ways than others. No, Toph just hated her family.

He dialed her number that he knew by easy memory. Aang confided with Mrs. Beifong, but this is also the only way he could reach Toph. After three rings, the voice mail picked up and he mashed his fingers in the hand up button. He called again three times to no avail, but didn't intend to stop until Thalia took the phone from him and put it in her pocket.

"Aang, just drive up there and tell her. Or better yet, just don't show up."

Aang stared at his sister in disbelief, his hands motioning for him how stupid her idea was. "Have you ever met a rich person in your life? Wait, you are a rich person! She will track me down and gauge my eyes out herself if I bailed. I'm going to have too tell Katara I can't be with her tonight. She won't mind, it's fine..."

Thalia impatiently tapped her foot, handing him his phone back.

"Does she know its your birthday? Probably not, right? You're so secretive, no wonder nobody loves you. I'll call her, you go get ready for work. Hey, don't look at me that way. I promise I won't do anything to alarm you."

Aang let his phone be taken again.

"Whats the password?"

"1214" He answered in a monotone voice, turning towards the stairs. It was mandatory to wear a black suit when on the staff. Slowly he got dressed, and decided that he should arrive there early. Katara would probably be upset, and he was even more upset that he had to work on his own birthday. Aang decided it had to be put off, and he unhappily trudged back down the stairs in his suit. He took the name tag that read STAFF on the front and pinned it above his heart. He took his phone back from Thalia and she told him that she called Katara and everything was fine. He felt guilty that he didn't call her himself, but he would explain everything after work tonight. He would go over to her place himself.

Once he arrived at the Beifong Manor it was around 1:30, and he went straight to where Toph was. She was in the garden alone, working on a new piece that was just clay. Girls sat around her giggling, and Toph looked brutally destroyed the way her disoriented face gave away as she tried to ignore them. She had headphones on, but even then Aang didn't think it would stop her from hearing their annoying voices.

He neared them, jerking his hand rudely. "Mrs. Beifong is requesting that everyone leaves Toph alone so she could finish this piece. Now leave."

They all stared at him with disgust, realizing that he was only in the staff. But still, the girls all got up and left Toph. Blankly, she pulled the headphones off and smiled in a direction that pointed nowhere in particular.

"Twinkle toes! Why are you so early?"

Aang sat down in an empty chair beside Toph, kicking his feet back and resting his hands behind his neck. "I told you to stop calling me that, Toph."

She ignored him. "Why are you here so early?"

"I just decided I want to annoy you before the show starts. Can't a friend do that?"

Toph stuck a slab down on the table, molding it to her liking as she rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she mumbled. "I know it's your birthday. You could've just told my mom no, whats the worst that could happen?"

"She could gauge my eyes out." He noted, leaning his head back.

Toph laughed, kicking him in the shin. "Pretty sure she tried that on me, which is why I'm blind."

They laughed for a minute, before she grew quiet and stopped working. Aang wondered why she was being like this.

"Weren't you going to hang out with your girlfriend?" She asked, and Aang nodded, picking his head up with too little motivation. He dropped his head between his shoulders, letting his hands rest between his lap. "Yep, but that can wait."

"Sure, but why didn't you just invite her?"

Aang stared at her in disbelief. Why didn't he think of that?


	12. Chapter 12

A.N: this is another aang chapter, and its long! which is why im posting it today! katara chapter is coming soon ok i promise. im also planning on ending the story soooon ok ily bye muah

It was late, and Aang stood in a quiet gated area of the manor. At least 12 feet away, another man had his feet planted casually as he took a drag off a cigarette. He looked bored, and Aang understood why. He had a view of the door where nicely dressed guests began to flow into the mansion. Staring off into space, he watched the darkening sky as the sun began to hang lower on the horizon. Usually these events ended at around 2 am, if he was lucky. It was all right, he supposed. Tomorrow was Sunday, and he'd have the whole day to make it up to Katara. Maybe she'd even suggest they sleep if she's not upset he blew her off.

"_What do you mean, not on the list_?" A voice thundered. What was that? It sounded high pitched, familiar. Aang lowered his eyes to the door, wondering if he needed to step in. His eyes settled on a pale girl with brown hair turned away from him. She wore a blazing red dress with a low back and elbow high, white silk gloves. The one beside her was a bit taller, wearing a long dress that hugged her body nicely. He furrowed his eyebrows, taking a step forward. The guard in front of him was also taking an interest, about to step closer to the mess when Aang moved his feet quickly. Anger set him forward as he barreled through the crowed of rich people.

"Katara? Thalia?" He sputtered. Thalia didn't pay him any mind, and Katara kept glancing between him and the bouncer at the front door. She gave crooked grin, the bangles on her wrist singing playfully as she tinkled her fingers in response to her name being called.

"I want to talk to Toph, she told us she put her name on the list!"

"What is going on out here?" Mrs. Beifongs voice rang from the top of the staircase. She hurried down the steps as fast as she could with her 7 inch heels, but it took an agonizingly long time in Aang's opinion. Once she was at the bottom, she placed a hand on the bouncers shoulder and took the clip board from his grip. He moved aside, addressing her formally. She ignored it.

"Who are you two?" She beckoned them forwards, placing a manicured finger on her lip. A thin eyebrow raised as she gazed at them.

"We're Toph's friends, Ma'am. She told-"

"Finally, you're here." Toph stood at the top of the steps, gasping like she'd just ran a marathon. A man stood at her side with an arm hooked through hers. He was the same one Aang saw earlier today holding the phone. "Was wondering when you'd show up."

Mrs. Beifong eyed her daughter thoughtfully for a moment, pondering if she was telling the truth. She blew out an exasperated sigh, dropping the clip board into the bouncers hands again. "Come in, come in. Any friend of Toph's is a friend of mine! It's so nice to meet you." She shook both of their hands, feigning cheerfulness. She averted her eyes to look over at the bouncer. "Oh, and Rutt?"

"Ma'am?" He wondered.

"Don't let this happen again, you know what'll happen." She murmured happily, batting her lashes. Aang had never really liked her, and this proved his point. The line began to move again as people handed their invitations to Rutt. He prodded them on, the line beginning to evaporate quickly as they hustled inside. Aang watched as Katara and Thalia sashayed up the steps towards Toph and disappeared in the glittering house. He was dumbfounded, and stared after them. Mrs. Beifong took notice in Aang, and she slid her arm through his. "Aang, would you be a dear and keep an eye on those girls? I've got a feeling they might cause trouble. You know Toph's friends. A few men showed up for duty, so it's fine if you finish off for the night. I'll pay you tomorrow in cash like I promised."

Aang was uncomfortable, but he didn't turn away. "Uh, no... It's fine if you don't pay me. I only worked for a couple of hours. There's no use... Sure, I'll keep an eye on them."

"Nonsense, honey. I've got enough money to let a few hundred disappear by the end of tonight." She winked at him, and hurried off inside. He gave a look to the visibly shaken Rutt and inclined his head with a sympathetic smile on his face. Rutt returned a smile, sighing loudly. Aang took off up the stairs, pulling off the pin on his tux and putting it in the inside pocket. He ran his hand over his bare head, stepping inside the doors.

A live band was the first thing Aang noticed. Bodies were hustling around as they looked at Toph's art on display. Most of it was clay work, some just paintings. She enjoyed using her bare hands to create pieces, and she even let people touch some on display. It took a lot of convincing at first, but finally Toph's mother allowed for only two pieces on display to be touched and prodded by the visitors. Aang stood back against the wall, scanning the room for any sign of the girls. _There_.

They were downstairs, huddled in a group of men, Toph obviously the center of attention. She held a champagne glass in one hand and a tooth pick with what appeared to be shrimp and some vegetables on it in the other. They broke into laughter as Aang neared them. He didn't know if he should let it be known that he was tasked with following them around all night, or to keep to the shadows and keep an eye on them. Aang did not in any way want to be a baby sitter, much less on his birthday. He walked towards them before stopping himself and catching an eyeful of Katara. The front of her dress showed cleavage, not to mention the slit up the side that revealed her entire thigh. She wore strappy heels that made her almost as tall as him, making her legs look deadly. He felt his lips perk up as her gaze slid on him. He tilted his head quizzically at her, raising a brow. A hand fell to her hip, but she secretly brushed her hand over her skirt to reveal her leg even more. Aang bit his lip, unable to take his eyes off of her.

She flipped hip length hair out of her face, shaking it out behind her back. Katara's eyes fell on Thalia for a moment. Thalia eyed her wonderingly, and Katara's hands seized her shoulder to whisper in her ear. Thalia's eyes grazed over Aang, and they locked eyes for a moment until she broke into a wide grin. She took Katara's hand and wheeled her around to face Aang. Aang dug both of his hands in his pant pockets, shrugging for a moment as Katara looked at him. Her blue eyes glistened perfectly in the chandelier light. Her lips were a glossy pink, and she pouted slightly as a finger was held up to coax him over to her. Slowly, he decided, Aang strolled over to them. Katara said nothing, and just turned back to the conversation that hung in the air. The live band was closer to where they hung around. They played a slow, quiet song. Aang supposed that it sufficed enough for people to stare at art all night.

A sudden impulse ran through Aang, and he clutched Katara's forearm with a gentle grip. She didn't look at him, but a smile teased her lips. His lips brushed her ear as he whispered something he didn't realize he was capable of saying in the presence of this many hundreds of people.

"I want you, bad."

She pushed his hand off, observing him cautiously for a moment. Her lips turned from a smile to a pout as she furrowed his eyebrows. Their faces were inches apart as she leaned into his ear.

"Make me want you," she barely breathed. Katara was teasing him. He didn't like it.

"Toph," Aang cut off one of the men mid sentence. He glared in Aang's direction, giving him a once over. Toph dipped her head to one side, furrowing her brows.

"What is it, Twinkle toes?" She wondered, playing with her flowing green dress. Aang slid Katara's arm through his as he gave a smug smile to everyone listening to him.

"Is it alright if I take Katara for a walk around? She's never seen the entire manor yet, and I wanted her to see the view from upstairs."

Toph rolled her eyes, taking a swig of champagne. She waved them off. "No one's allowed upstairs, so be my guest. Wait, you are."

Fake laughter rolled off the tongues of the male population that surrounded Toph. The joke was bland, and everyone knew it. Aang grinned glancing over at Katara for a sign of approval. She looked at Thalia, who prodded her with a finger on the shoulder.

"Go, go. I'll take care of Toph."

Toph snorted. "I hear that everyday."

More laughter, but Aang was guiding Katara through the packed bodies as he brought her deeper inside the home. She tried to stop him, but just ended up being flung forward. "Wait," she deliberated, pulling on his arm.

He stopped mid track. "What?"

"The stairs are the other way."

He cracked a smile. "We can't take those stairs, we'll get caught."

She frowned, but followed him anyway. They were stopped by a group of elderly women Aang knew thanks to Toph and her mother.

"Aang!" One cried, flinging themselves at him. Katara pulled her arm away from him abruptly, but Aang slunk away from the woman he remembered had the name of Berra. She steadied herself, while the others pulled her back.

"Hello, ladies. Having a nice night?" He wondered coolly, holding his arm out to Katara who didn't take it again. He wondered if she was mad, but decided to dismiss it until they were alone.

"Wonderful, yes." One nodded cheerfully. The other two nodded in unison. "Who is this young woman you have here?" The nosy one asked. Aang remarked to himself to be cautious about running into them again.

"Katara," Aang took her hand and pulled her closer to him. "My girlfriend."

Katara's gripped unexpectedly softened, but she squeezed his hand what seemed to be affectionately. The three woman made buzzes of approval, patting Aang on the shoulder.

"You're lovely, young lady. It's so nice to see Aang paired with someone after all these years of knowing him." They began to file away, waving at them quaintly.

Finally, they got to the door, and Aang stood with his back to it. His hand held Katara's tightly as his eyes ran over her face, searching for some kind of expression. Her cheeks were lightly pink, and she stared straight ahead so she didn't need to meet his eyes. "Ready?" He murmured. She nodded, licking her bottom lip.

He opened the door and they retreated behind it. It was dark in the room, but Aang flicked on the light to reveal the spiral staircase. They walked up it in silence, and every so often Aang would spare a glance at Katara. His hand was interlocked with hers, but he could feel a certain distance. Once they got upstairs, Aang drifted alongside Katara towards double window pane doors. They led to an extravagant balcony. He let her walk through it before closing both the doors and clicking the lock. He covered the windows with beige curtains before making his way towards where she stood.

He wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips delicately to her revealed shoulder. She shivered, and he wondered if it was too cold out there or if it was just the kiss.

"Aang," his name wandered in the air for a moment. He pulled away from her, and Katara turned around to face him. He nodded, a motion to let her know he was listening.

"Why... didn't you tell me it was your birthday?" Her hollow words seemed to run a vibration up his spine. Her gaze split him in half.

"I'm sorry," he began, but he sounded confused as he spoke slowly. "I didn't think it mattered all that much."

Her eyes widened in annoyance as the words came tumbling out of his mouth. Katara's head cocked to one side, and her lips upturning into a sneer. "You think your birthday doesn't matter to me? Of course it does. Why was I the only one who didn't seem to know until last night? I was looking forward to surprising you, but then you decide to agree and keep watch on a gated manor?"

"Toph's art show." He corrected her hastily, and she began to walk away. His arm outstretched and he leaned a hand on the railing of the balcony. Katara almost fell back as she was restrained from moving any further. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, collecting her composure. After what seemed like a very long time, Katara turned back to him.

"I'm not going to argue with you," he shot quickly. She nodded, agreeing with him. For once. He wanted to lighten the mood, but he didn't quite know how.

"I'm sorry," he started again. "Tomorrow let's do something. Let's go somewhere, just us. Do you want to celebrate my birthday with me?"

A hint of a smile, before her lips broke into a toothy grin. He smiled too, feeling lighter.

"I got you something," she stated. "But, I didn't bring it with me. It's at my house."

"It's fine, you're here now." He nuzzled her neck affectionately. "I need you."

Her hand rubbed the back of his head lightly, and she leaned her head against him. "Mm, 'kay." she murmured, her other hand sliding against his shoulder to pull him closer.

His lips found hers, and they moved together slowly at first. As the kiss dragged on, he pulled away to place his forehead against hers.

"I need you, too." She gasped, hand gripping his shoulder tighter.

"You look amazing in that dress," he noted, lips hungrily planting kisses down her jaw, neck, shoulder.

"You look incredible in that tux," she mocked in a hushed breathy tone. Her hands slid down to the buttons of the blazer as she undid them clumsily. His lips roamed back up to hers and they deepened the kiss intensely, picking up speed.

He let out a soft grunt in pleasure, hands freely exploring her. She pulled away to breathe again, and this time, he turned her towards a table.

"Aang," she inhaled sharply, pulling his face closer to hers. Once again, he kissed down her neck, sinking his teeth into her shoulders. Katara let out a low moan, and his hand caressed her naked thigh, pushing the dress further up it. He stood between her legs, and she wound them around his waist tightly.

"We can't... have sex here-" She mumbled to him, pushing away for a moment. He eyed her knowingly, helping her off the table. She regained composure, and he unlocked the door.

"You're right, but there's a bathroom down the hall."

He guided her down the hall, and they locked themselves in the largest bathroom Aang could think of existed in the entire Beifong Manor. Katara pulled herself up on the counter, openly inviting Aang forward. His hands found her hips and he firmly pushed himself against her. Once again they became engulfed in a passionate kiss that lasted for at least several minutes.

"More," she whispered against his lips as he reached for the zipper of her dress. He was beginning to get antsy, he needed her just as much as she needed him. His nimble fingers slowly dragged the zipper down, revealing both of her breasts. Aang began to suck on one, and Katara guided his finger between her legs. She wasn't wearing any underwear.

"Katara," Aang warned against her bare skin. She kept prodding him forward, circling his finger over the lips of her.

"Pretty please?" she drew a long breath, murmuring in her most innocent tone. Aang began to rub her gently, and she leaned into him.

"You can't be loud."

"I promise." She whispered, her hands running down his blazer and pulling it down and off. She undid a few buttons, kissing his chest as he inserted a finger inside of her. Katara's grip tightened mildly as she leaned her head back against the mirror. Aang's lips found her chest against, and he nibbled softly on her nipple.

"Aang," she mumbled again, pushing him off. Although he hadn't been in her long, she moved his hand away. He was confused when she slid off the counter and pushed him against the wall. Katara dropped to her knees, not losing eye contact for a second. Aang figured out what she was going to do quickly, as she undid his pants and pulled them down slowly. He bit his lip, staring down at her. She slowly rubbed the already bulge inside of his boxer briefs. Katara's lips brushed them, before she pulled them down as well. For a long moment, her hand caressed him gently, before she began to kiss his tip, his shaft. All of him. Katara licked up him and put him inside her mouth. Her eyes studied his with intensity. One of Aang's hands tangled in her hair as he tipped his head back and let out a quiet groan of pleasure. She let her tongue relax before guiding him deeper into her mouth, her strokes slow and steady. Her hand still held him, lightly fondling the places her mouth couldn't reach.

"Katara," he mumbled unintelligibly, and she grew a little faster, lips closing around him tighter. He grew closer as she grew faster. Aang couldn't handle it.

"Katara," he informed in a knowing tone. She didn't stop, her tongue lightly rounding his tip. Her free hand slid up Aang's shirt, feeling around at his toned abdomen. His breath grew ragged all to quick as she pulled out. Aang let her stand up, before pushing his pants off fully and picking her back up against the counter. Aang pushed his tip against her, spreading her legs. Katara stared at him wide eyed, opening her mouth.

"No condom?"

"Mm," Aang replied, pushing in. His hands fondled her breasts pleasantly, thumb brushing across her tight nipple. She gasped in his ear, back arching slightly. Aang didn't start out slow, he roughly thrust in and out of her while she gasped for a sudden loss of air. She tried her best to remain quiet, and he could feel her bite into his half covered shoulder. Her hands held tightly onto him, groping his butt, pulling him closer, anything. She made a small whimper as he pushed himself further. Katara's heel dug into the side of his half, but he didn't care.

"Harder," she grunted. He went harder, and she put her head back, releasing a moan. He clamped a hand over her mouth, closing his eyes.

"Katara!" He hissed, not pausing.

"I-I'm... sorry-" Her eyes bore into his, and he picked up her knees, spreading her legs farther apart.


	13. Chapter 13

A.N back to katara! im sure ill write more aangie chapters in tha future kk. also, ive been talking to a lovely soul giving me so much help on this fanfiction, brainstorming ideas, giving me pointers, thank you so much! i cant thank you enough, seriously. so much appreciation should be given to you, because if not i probably would've just gotten frustrated and stopped writing altogether. ok, heres the chapter now xoxoxox

"Come on, won't Sokka tell you where he's taking you?" Katara complained, stomping her foot on the ground like a 5 year old. Suki laid her chin on her hand and sighed, shaking her head.

"No, but I'm kind of excited. We haven't really had surprises since we got married. He did good keeping it from me." She smugly offered a smile, glancing over to the back door where Sokka stood talking to Aang.

"How long have you been with him?" Suki wondered, and Katara looked over at Aang too.

"8 months." She answered back coolly, feeling her cheeks burn.

The door scraped open and the guys walked through it, holding plates. Aang sat beside Katara, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and kissing her temple. She turned to him, pouting slightly.

"What are we doing for lovers day?" She mumbled, entwining her fingers with his. He cocked his head to the side, raising and eyebrow. Aang pondered that for a minute, before shrugging.

"I'm not telling you."

Sokka placed a hamburger in front of Katara, and one in front of Suki. Aang pulled his arm away from her and dug into his veggie burger.

"Drinks?" Sokka asked, holding cans of dripping soda. Katara shot up a hand and he tossed it to her. Great, now it would explode in her face. Aang got one pushed to him from the other side of the table. He tapped the can a few times before opening it, and it didn't explode. Katara tried to copy him, but he took the can and did it for her.

"How's the teaching job working for you, Aang?" Suki asked, taking a drink of her soda. Aang put his can down and sighed deeply, before laughing.

"They've got it in for me. All of them are set on making my job hell."

Sokka snorted his soda, choking on it. "That's what you get for trying to babysit a bunch of teenagers for 6 hours a day!" He slapped his knee like he was making a joke. A good joke.

After dinner with Sokka and Suki, Aang drove back to his place with Katara, and they climbed up the steps tiredly. Katara was almost at the top of the steps before Aang caught her wrist and stopped her. His hand slid from her wrist to her hand, and she stopped mid step. Turning, Katara eyed Aang. He had a sheepish smile splayed across his lips, eyes smoldering into hers.

"Aang?" She mumbled. He was illuminated by the hanging streetlight in the distance. Aang's hands slid to her waist, and he kissed her forehead, her cheek, her lips.

"Aang?" She tried again, louder this time. Both of Katara's hands wrapped around his shoulders, firmly holding him against her. She was standing on the step above him, but he was still taller than her by half a head. He laid his forehead against hers. Aang's eyes were closed, and Katara eyed him thoughtfully.

"I love you." He muttered, seemingly to himself. Katara pulled his face away from hers to look at it. Did she hear him right? He'd never once said this to her.

"-What?" She stupidly asked, her cheeks fiercely reddening. He broke into a grin, pecking her on the nose. "I love you," he said again.

"Me?" She was so shocked she could barely say one word. Aang rested his head on her shoulder, affectionately nuzzling her neck.

"Yeah, you." He promised, pulling her tighter against him. Katara's grip became looser, and she realized she was shaking. Aang pulled away to look at her face, but this time she hid it on his shoulder. He chuckled softly, resting his chin on her head. Aang soothingly rubbed Katara's back.

"Say it again," she whispered, her hand lightly tracing marks on his neck. Katara took a deep breath, dragging her head up to look at him. His eyes bore into hers intensely.

"I love you." Aang said again, more confidently. Katara smiled, both of her hands mushing his cheeks together. She kissed him for a moment, leaning her forehead on his for a moment longer. "Again."

"I love you," he whispered. She kissed him again, and again. Every time she broke off the kiss, he whispered that he loved her. Their kiss deepened, and he had to be the one to tear away from her.

"It's cold," she complained, and he pushed her up the stairs. Once they were inside, Aang brought her up the steps to his room, where he laid her on the bed. He hovered over her, kissing her neck.

"I love you too," she whispered back, pushing his face away from her neck. His eyes softened, and he collapsed on her. Aang sighed loudly, arms winding around her body. He laid between Katara's legs, resting his head on her chest.

"I want you to meet my parents." He deemed, pulling the blankets over them. Katara nodded, staring up at the ceiling.

"I want to meet them, too. Will you come to meet my mom?"

"I promise." Aang whispered. They fell asleep together, after staying awake for hours and talking about nothing. Katara woke up first, and Aang had rolled over on the other side of the bed. She got up without waking him, and wrapped the covers around him once again.

Aang shifted, but didn't wake up. Katara didn't want to wake him up, he'd been having enough trouble sleeping because of work. If he wasn't working he was sleeping and if he wasn't sleeping he was working. She went and ran herself a bath.

Lately, she'd been staying at his house for longer periods of time because he always forgot to eat dinner, have a shower at appropriate times, and sleep. Katara wondered if Aang was really cut out for teaching. It didn't seem like a hard job, just marking papers and teaching kids. No. He had over 90 students, 3 classes a day and lessons to make. She didn't know how he was juggling everything, but she wanted to be there to help.

When the water filled the bath to her liking, Katara stripped off her clothes and sat herself in it. The water was boiling, and it soothed her bones. She sat there, staring up at the white ceiling. Last night, Aang said he wanted her to meet his parents.

Did he mean go to their grave? If he did, that must mean something. She'd never felt like it was appropriate to bring anyone she dated to her mothers grave, but Aang was different. She did love him. Much more than she loved anyone else.

There was a light tap on the door.

"Katara?" Aang mumbled, sounding groggy. She sat up.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

She looked at the door. "I'm taking a bath."

Aang opened the door suddenly, rubbing an eye. Katara's eyebrows furrowed, and she sat up, hugging her knees to her chest. He took his tooth brush and put some toothpaste on it, brushing his teeth slowly. Aang watched himself in the mirror, not even sparing a glance over at Katara. She relaxed a small bit, sitting back. Steam still rose off of the water she sat in.

"So," he finally huffed, his mouth full of suds from the toothpaste. Katara lazily looked over at him. He was looking at her through the reflection of the mirror. Aang's eyes were soft.

"Mm?" Katara murmured, picking her hand up from the water to push a few strands of hair out of her face. A bead of water rolled down her cheek.

"This is probably a bad time to ask, never mind." He ducked his head into the sink spitting out the toothpaste. She watched him for a minute, a pout on her lips.

"Hey," she snapped. "You can't just fill me with suspense and then not answer. Whatever it is, there's a good time to ask. Right. Now." She exaggerated like hell, but it didn't really matter. Katara wanted to know what it was he had to say. Aang turned very suddenly, his eyes blazing as he leaned against the counter. He hoisted himself up on the edge of the sink, legs dangling only inches from the ground. Aang didn't break eye contact with her once, and it made Katara feel very self conscious.

"Instead of celebrating lovers day, let's go to the Fire Nation. Let's go see my parents grave, I haven't seen them since I was 18."

Katara didn't say anything, she just sat up very quickly. She felt her eyes widen, and then narrow all in a moment. Her mouth fell open as if she was going to say something, but she didn't. Both of them stared intently at each other as water quietly dripped from the tap and into the already filled bath. The water rippled furiously every time a pearl fell from the tap.

"Aang..." Katara breathed, and he flinched. His loose tank top showed as his arms flexed every time that his hands balled into a fist. Aang flung himself off the counter, pretending to stretch. Katara said nothing as he walked out. Her bones burned, but it wasn't from the boiling water running over her skin. Katara pulled the plug and got out of the bath to follow up, picking up the towel.

But she slipped.

Katara gasped as she fell, landing very hard on her hip. She cried out when she landed with a loud crack. In shock, Katara rolled on her back, the towel strewn across her naked body. Her head buzzed and her hip, elbow and left thigh ached. Without realizing, Katara was crying, and whimpering noisily. Aang came through the door, his eyes wide. She closed her own eyes, laying her head back on the bath mat.

"Katara," he was at her side, kneeling. One arm went under her neck, hoisting her up. She made a loud noise, and winced in pain.

"Don't. I'm fine." She promised, but her voice shook with every word. Katara put a hand on his chest and tried to push him, but he picked her up. Aang fixed the towel around her body, and brought her out of the bathroom.

"Idiot, what were you thinking?" He held her close to him, his lip quivered slightly. Katara beat on his chest, but it was weak and he didn't seem to care much. Her body hurt badly, and she could already feel the bruising begin. He gently laid her on the bed, leaning her head against a few pillows. Aang didn't let go of her. She realized that his hand was shaking.

Katara placed a hand on his cheek, but he shied away from it. He untangled himself from Katara carefully, and picked up one side of her towel.

"That doesn't look pretty," he sighed, and she looked at it. He was right, her hip was turning purple and black, getting puffy. Her thigh was fine, just a bit red and the pain was fading there. The same went for her elbow, too. She flipped the towel back over herself. "No," she agreed. "It doesn't."

"How bad is it?" He wondered, his fingers lightly brushing over her shoulder. What he meant was, _did you break anything_?

"It just really hurts, I don't think I broke anything though." She promised, and he got up. Startled, Katara reached for him. He gazed at her hand, and then at her face. Katara bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

"I'm just going to get you ice," he promised, leaning over her and resting a hand on her cheek. His hand still shook furiously. Aang gave her a small smile, kissing her forehead. "I'll be right back, I promise."

She didn't know why he was smiling. He was just faking calmness to make her feel better, Katara knew.

When he returned, Aang held a small bag of ice wrapped in some paper towel. Once again, he moved the towel away, just enough to reveal her purple and black bruising hip. The bruise was around 3 inches from her bellybutton. He eyed her, waiting for approval. Katara put her hand on his, slowly lowering the ice on it. Once it lightly brushed her side, she winced in pain and shrieked. Aangs hand lost her grip as he yanked away the ice.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He was almost shouting. He held her shoulder down so she didn't sit up. Katara had never seen Aang like this. Her hand delicately took hold of his wrist, soothingly rubbing his arm. He breathed a loud sigh, picking up the bag of ice again.

"Aang," she murmured. Katara moved her hands to cradle his face. He was growing stubble, and it looked nice on him.

The bag of ice was on her again, but this time she only flinched slightly. His eyes met hers, and they were filled with tears. He dropped his head on her shoulder, and she ran her hand up and down her back.

"You really scared me." Aang grumbled, his breath tickling her neck. His hand was laid under her armpit and on her shoulder. Katara smiled at Aang, pulling him closer.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, kissing his temple. She didn't know why he was crying for sure, but there was many reasons why he would be. He held her tightly for a long while, not letting her go until she promised that she was alright. Even then he warily pulled away, still holding onto her shoulder.

"I'll get you some clothes," he told her. Aang had given Katara her own drawer in his room, and she filled it with only some jeans and a few t-shirts. There was only 3 or 4 pairs of underwear but nothing else, really. "A loose top," she instructed. "And underwear. I'm not putting pants on."

"I can work with that," he winked at her as he walked towards the drawer. Aang threw her underwear and frowned. "There's none loose fitting enough."

"I'm sure there is." She sat up slowly, ignoring the intense pain jabbing at her side. Katara held her breath until she was leaning against the backboard. Aang was eyeing her, until he opened another drawer and threw her one of his own black t-shirts. It looked like it would be a dress on her. She slid on the clothes, slinging her legs off the side of the bed. Kneeling, Aang was beside her. He kept telling her how she shouldn't get up, but Katara promised she was fine. She rolled up the sleeves on the shirt, and pulled herself off the bed. Aang stood up, holding his arms out to her cautiously. Folding, Katara placed a hand on his shoulder. He wound his arm around her, making sure not to touch her hips.

"I'll make some breakfast, okay? Hey, your legs still work. Katara-"

They both laughed. Katara was pretending that she couldn't want because she liked when he carried her. He held one of her hands and had the other slung around her. He held her against his body, protectively shuffling with her towards the stairs. He made sure to walk down two steps ahead and help her down the stairs. Once they reached the dining room he sat her down at the table.

"Okay, you don't need to help me. I'm fine." She promised, but didn't let him let go of her. He confusedly stared at her, but she pulled him closer. Aang got down on his knees, and she wrapped her legs around his torso. He enveloped her in a hug, his arms around her waist. Aang stayed wary of her hip.

"Let's go see your parents grave," she whispered to him, pressing her lips to his forehead. Katara felt him nod his head on her chest.


	14. Chapter 14

A.N: OK BASICALLY I WROTE THIS CHAPTER 3 TIMES AND 2 OF THOSE TIMES MY COMPUTER DIED AND DIDNT SAVE SO I'VE BEEN PUTTING OFF WRITING IT FOR LIKE 4 YEARS IM SORRY. SORRY. also, im planning on ending this fanfic soon lol. i dunno how many chapters are left but this has been so fun to write! thanks for all the amazing comments and help you've given me. this was a good experience, and i hope i grew as a writer!

They decided to visit Aang's parents. Katara took off time from work, and Aang had two weeks off because of a small vacation the high school had for a holiday. Sokka and Suki already went off on their lover's day celebration. For an entire week. Suki texted Katara telling her Sokka was taking her to Omashu through the 'secret lovers' cave. How exciting.

On the boat ride over to the Fire Nation, the two didn't do much. They ate good meals and stood at the railing just talking. Despite his calm composure, Katara knew Aang was definitely nervous. The first time seeing his parents graves in years. Katara was very nervous while visiting her own mothers, so she understood.

They drove their Satomobile off the boat. Squeezing his thigh, Katara looked at Aang as he drove. He was quiet, but it seemed to calm her a bit. In silence, Aang drove. The radio wasn't on, and their breathing was quiet. Every so often, Katara glanced over at Aang, to see how he looked. It was warm out in the Fire Nation despite the season. It was breezy, but that was it. Once they arrived, Katara pulled herself out of the Satomobile. She met Aang in front of the parked vehicle, and he smiled at her. He held two small flowers, one buttercup and one purple dahlia. Katara intertwined their fingers, and he squeezed her hand affectionately. Together they walked up the hill towards the grassy graveyard. It felt colder as they entered through the gate. Just barely you could see heads from where they stood, sticking close together. There was a funeral being held there.

The air blew past Katara and Aang, and a shiver ran through her. She let go of Aang's hand to hug herself, averting her gaze from the group slowly dispatching themselves from a coffin being buried. Her eyes fell on a man holding a small girls hand. She knelt, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared blankly. The little girls fingers ran across the brisk stone. The man got on his knee's, too. He patted the small girls hair. Katara decided she didn't want to look anymore. She stared at Aangs face. He didn't even look at her.

"Ready?" She asked. He blew out a long breath of air, before grimly nodding. Katara followed him as they walked, minding the other graves. She read a few, and most were older than her. They walked past a couple mausoleum's, pantheons and even a shrine. Aang stopped walking, and Katara hit her head into his shoulder as she walked into him. She took a few steps back, and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Aang wore a bleak expression, and Katara following him through the nicely grown bushes and past a couple more graves. He stopped in front of two diamond shaped graves. These were ones bought by the poorer, Katara knew. They weren't particularly extravagant, nor big. The graves had no special words on them, just the date they died and their names. Katara stepped back, putting her hands behind her back. She watched as Aang put the single flowers down in front of their empty looking graves. He bowed his head, his shoulders rising and falling unnaturally. So badly, Katara wanted to wrap herself into him and console him, but she couldn't. She had to let Aang have his moment. Just being there was one of the most important things she'd ever lived to do. Someone trusted and loved her enough to bring her to do something as private as visit two people they loved at a grave.

Bowing her own head, Katara tightly shut her eyes.

_Thank you_, she thought. _For creating the most amazing person I've ever met. I've never loved someone more in my life. Forever, I promise I'll love him_.

When she opened her eyes, Aang was looking at her. He looked tired, and it seemed to add a few years on him. A few tears stained his cheeks. Katara couldn't help it anymore. She pulled him tightly against her, her hands wiping his cheeks dry. He was smiling at her, holding her waist. She choked back a sob, returning the smile.

They left the heavy air of the cemetery behind. The two went to their hotel to check in. Once they got in, Katara ordered room service. They ate together quietly, but Aang only finished half a plate. He laid down on the bed where she sat, curling himself close to her. Katara was watching TV, finishing up her dinner. Aang sat up, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He kissed her bare shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She murmured, pushing the pull out table away from her and crawling farther back on the bed. He collected her into his grasp, hugging her tightly to him.

"Mm," he replied, kissing her chest. She wore a tank top today, thinking it was going to be hot. Katara pulled him away to look at his face. Aang smiled at her. "Thank you for coming with me today. It was so much easier with you, I think."

Katara shook her head, kissing his nose. Slowly, Aang's eyes drifted pasted her and to the wall. He seemed bewildered as he looked back at Katara's face. "Katara... is that lingerie in your suitcase?" A devious smile perked his lips. Katara rolled onto her back, a smug expression on her face.

"I dunno, want me to put it on?"

"Uh, yeah." He sat up, looking like an excited 7 year old. Katara scurried to the bathroom, snatching the lacy clothing on the way. Peeling her clothes off, she put on the black lingerie. She took her hair out of the bun she'd worn it in all day and scraped the brush through it a couple of times. It was as good as she could make it. It would suffice.

Katara wasn't sure if she really should have taken the lingerie Suki gave her. She was more self conscious now than she was naked. Despite the reasons, Katara opened up the bathroom door and slowly walked out. Aang watched her the whole way, and she stopped mid step. Laughter erupted from both of them. Aang fell back on the bed, holding his sides. Katara couldn't stop her laughing.

When they both finally stopped laughing, Aang laid flat on the bed. He laid in a position that made it look like he was attempting to make a snow angel. "Man, am I the luckiest person alive or something?" It was then, Katara realized that he was wearing the necklace she gave him on his birthday. Smiling to herself, she went and flicked off the lamp beside the bed. Only light shone through the window, faint moonlight. Aang sat, his feet dangling off the edge of the bed. Katara stood between his legs. His hands found her hips, and he looked up at her.

"Your side is doing better," he noted. It was true, the once purple and black bruise is now only a faint yellowish green color. It made her look like an infected zombie. Aang kissed her bruise, lightly. So lightly she couldn't feel it. His lips moved under her naval and his hands fondled her behind. Katara pushed his face away, only to kiss him. He stood up, towering over her. Aang pushed her back against the wall, his mouth roughly kissing up and down her neck.

One of Aang's hands delicately caressed up and down her thigh. She was wearing a garter belt, holding up her thigh highs. Katara began to undo his shorts. She pushed them down and he stepped out of them. His hands firmly pushed her against the wall as he moved down her. His lips followed the lead and made it to her breasts. Katara snaked off his shirt.

Her bra was undone by Aang, and they both let it fall to the floor. He pushed his face between her cleavage, nipping wherever he could. Katara heard gasping, but soon concluded it was her own breath escaping her. For support, one hand stayed flat on the wall, and the other on Aang's shoulder. He kept going down farther, until he was right where she wanted him. Aang picked up one of Katara's legs and hoisted it over his shoulder, kissing her thigh. Katara closed her eyes, leaning her head back as she waited for him to get to her.

Her thin panties were moved on her slightly, so almost all of her was exposed. She opened her eyes, glancing down at him. He was looking up at her, before he began to kiss her clit. He then closed his eyes, flicking his tongue along her. Katara's mouth opened, but only a petty moan escaped her.

"Aang, stop..." She whined, and he did so. He trailed back up her body, and Katara shoved off his boxers. She rubbed him, and he trapped her against the wall. His arm cupped her leg, and brought it up on his waist.

"Can I...?" He put his forehead against hers. Her breath raggedly slipped from her mouth, and she nodded. Both of his hands clumsily took hold of her thighs. Katara slid her arms around his shoulders. She was lifted off the ground slowly, pushed against the wall and his was kissing her shoulder the whole time, until he entered her. Aang stopped kissing, only to hold his head there. Quickly, he turned with her in his arms and pushed Katara on the small coffee table. Katara brushed away all of the contents on it, with loud clattering on the floor. Her arms let go of his shoulders, and held the edges of the table.

Aang still held one of her thighs, hooking her knee pit with his elbow. She gasped louder every time he thrust.

"Y-yeah..." She moaned.

For another few minutes, they continued. Aang pulled out of her. Opening her eyes, Katara quizzically glanced at him.

"Turn over," he commanded. For a minute, she was opposed. He frowned. "No, I'm not going to do that-"

"Okay, okay!" She turned over. His manly hands seized her hips, and he was in her once again. This time he slowed down, but he was still rough. Trying her best, Katara kept herself quiet.

There was a knock on the door.

"Everything alright? We got a call from 104 that they heard loud noises from in here..."

Aang pulled out of her. He got up and silently slid on a housecoat. Katara crept off into the bathroom, sweeping the contents of the table with her foot out of sight from the door.

She could hear Aang answer it, and use his savvy voice to explain what was going on. The man at the door laughed uncomfortably. Katara leaned against the bathroom counter.

"I'm sorry about that... My _wife_ and I were just having a conversation. She sat on the coffee table across from me and a few things fell. Everyone's fine." He exaggerated the conversation part with heavy sarcasm. Katara wondered if he used quotation marks.

"Where is she? Your wife?" The man challenged.

Aang was quiet for a moment. She could almost hear the scowl form on his face. Katara quickly regained herself, sliding on a white knee length bathrobe the hotel left out. She didn't have time to check anything before she appeared at the front door. Aang wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead. "What's going on?" She tried her best to sound confused, but she had already heard it all.

"Ah, the wife." The man said, eyeing her prudently. She looked down, realizing she still wore the thigh highs, but only her calves were visible. The man rocked back on his heels, shoving his hands in his pockets. He gave a brisk nod to Aang. "I'm sorry to bother you tonight, sir, miss. Have a good evening."

"You too," Aang shut the door before he even finished speaking. Katara was already half way back to bed by that time. She collapsed on the bed, laying down and pushing her hands under the cool pillows. Aang lay beside her on his back, turning his head to watch her.

"Next time let's not be so rough at a hotel."

"Good idea." She closed her eyes, feeling a pout. "Hey, what was that about wife? You could have just said girlfriend."

She felt him shrug before he shuffled closer to her. He put his arms around her, holding her tightly. "Because that's what I want you to be."

Keeping her eyes closed, Katara nuzzled her face in his chest. She felt her face burn. "Isn't it a little early?"

His deep laugh made her flinch. She let him hold her closer. "'Kay. Later, then. I'll wait for you."

"Mm, yeah." she said, pecking his chest. "I'll wait for you too."


	15. Chapter 15

A.N:hello! this is pretty amazing, over 3,600 views on my fanfic! thank you so much for reading (and enjoying, hopefully) this is so fun to write, even if i sometimes don't have the best ideas...lol... enjoy this chapter! also there may be something you're upset with, but please know that i've had to change some aspects to fit my fanfiction! more to come later on in the week per usual. (this chapter is pretty short, basically a fluffy filler lol sorryyyy)

Katara opened her eyes and glanced around. The rising sun poured through the thin curtains, and it blinded her. Aang lay with one arm slung over her, breathing softly. For a moment, Katara laid there and watched his face. When she got up, Aang shifted but did not wake up. She went off to the bathroom, on the way picking up a few things and placing it on the coffee table. Her back hurt from laying on it last night. Katara got in the bathroom and shrugged out of the remaining clothes she wore. In case Aang woke up, she left the door open. On the counter lay her make up bag, and she opened it.

On top of the pile was a small plastic package. Her birth control pills. She plucked them out and examined them for a second, running her fingers over it. Katara dropped the pill package suddenly, and it fell into the sink. Looking up, Katara saw Aang's reflection in the mirror. He was leaned against the door frame, eyeing her curiously. She turned, picking up her bath robe and putting it on.

"Morning," she said casually, walking towards him and wrapping her arms around his torso. He didn't seem to notice her becoming distraught every increasing moment. Katara covered it with a smile. She turned away again and picked up her pill package, shoving it back into her make up bag and zipping it tightly shut. Only Katara knew that she hadn't taken her pills in over 4 days. She'd forgotten. Today she'd start taking them again, it wouldn't matter.

"Good morning." Aang kissed her forehead. "Are you going to take a shower?"

"Yeah," Katara nodded. Aang took a step out of the bathroom, smiling. "I'll order room service. Pancakes?"

"Is there apple cinnamon oatmeal with fruit? I'll have that." She tried to sound nonchalant. Who cared about breakfast? The only thing on her mind was how Aang and her had sex, without a condom for the past 4 months. There was no day having sex unprotected and without birth control only once would get her pregnant, right?

"Yep, I can get that for you. You sure you don't want anything else?"

"Can you order me chocolate milk..."

"Chocolate milk? Yeah, but for breakfast?" He laughed, leaving her to her shower. Katara closed the door and flicked the lock. She immediately took the pills out and popped one in her mouth. Katara stuck her mouth under the sink and swallowed it down with some lukewarm water. After that, she stepped into the shower and cleaned herself off.

After a hot shower, Katara wrapped herself once again in the bathrobe. Deciding that she wouldn't be bothered by not taking her pill for a small amount of time, She left the bathroom and joined Aang where he sat at the coffee table eating. Katara sat on the other end of the sofa, where her food was near to on the table. Picking up her bowl, Katara stared at it for a moment. The fruit lay on top of the oatmeal, with lightly sprinkled powder sugar on top.

"What did you get?" Katara wondered, taking a bite of her oatmeal. He looked up from his dish, holding a pair of chopsticks.

"I got scrambled tofu with some noodles. It's really good, see all the cheese and peppers?"

Nodding, Katara dipped her spoon back into the oatmeal, fishing out some fruits. She tasted kiwi and banana. "It looks good."

Aang took a bite, his head bobbing up and down in agreement. She smiled at his face, the childish features clearly visible as he chomped down on the meal. They ate together in silence for awhile, just enjoying their food. After eating, Aang suggested going to see a few places with him. Willingly, Katara agreed. She dressed and brushed on some make up, and they left the hotel, hand in hand.

Katara and Aang both decided that walking was not a terrible idea. It was warm, with a slight breeze. Katara was hoping for a tan, and Aang assured her that it was not far a walk from where they stayed.

As they walked, Aang pointed out places that he used to visit often. He explained to Katara the importance of each place they passed. She was amazed at all of the buildings, with the pointed roofs and sliding doors. When they finally stopped at a destination, Aang let her past first, opening the door to the shop.

They entered a small cafe known as the Jasmine Dragon Tea shop. People sat with their heads close together, music droning peacefully from a stereo. Everyone there chatted happily among themselves, sipping from small cups without handles. Aang guided Katara to the front, and the barista tilted her head in confusion for a moment.

"Uh," Aang smiled. "Is Iroh here?"

The woman held up a finger, as if something clicked in her mind. "Aang?"

"That is me. Is he here?"

"Yeah! Yeah totally. I'll be right back, 'kay?" She waved someone else to the front as she disappeared behind the door in the back. Looking around, Katara noticed a few slogans painted along the walls. _Make Tea, Not War_. _The Secret Ingredient to Tea is Love_. _You Can't Buy Happiness, But You Can Buy Tea, and That's Kind of the Same Thing_. She smiled as she looked around.

"Iroh loves his tea," Aang said. "He owns this place."

"Mm, it's such a nice aroma." She stated, smelling the different teas mix together.

After another few moments of waiting, a shorter, stout man walked through the door. He was followed by the woman who got him. The man was balding, but still wore a topknot bun. He wore a green robe with a lovely embroidered lotus in the front. Men and women haven't dressed like him for many years. He seemed to pull it off well.

"Aang?" Iroh's beard twitched. He smiled, putting down the tea pot he held. Aang held open his arms, and Iroh hugged him tightly. They shared a quiet moment, before Aang turned Iroh towards Katara.

"This is Katara, my girlfriend." Aang announced. Although Katara's heard this plenty of times already, she still felt the uncontrollable tug of the heart and a fury of blushes.

"And Katara, this is Iroh. He's Zuko's uncle. We've known each other since I was 12."

Katara was baffled. "Wait, you mean... Zuko, Mai's boyfriend? Mayor Zuko? The one who was at the party we met at?" It was true, Zuko was the Mayor

"That's the one," Iroh laughed heartily, holding his stomach. For a moment, Katara had to take it all in. Such a nice elder man who did nothing but smiled, and Zuko. After her inner argument, Katara held out her hand for Iroh. "It's nice to meet you."

He engulfed her in a hug, instead. Caught by surprise, Katara returned the hug. Iroh pulled away and steered both Aang and Katara towards a free table. "Sit, why don't you? I'll give you some tea, on the house!"

Katara looked at Aang, giving him the don't-take-advantage-of-old-people look. Aang shot back the he's-like-family shrug. As Iroh rambled about nothing, Katara held up a finger. "I'll pay for mine. I feel guilty getting free tea..." She trailed off.

"Nonsense! After just one cup, you'll want more. _Then_ you can start paying." He laughed. His laugh was very nice, it made everyone smile. She nodded, giving in. "Alright, do you have ginger tea?"

"Yes, and Aang what about you?"

"Jasmine tea, but can the base be green tea?"

Iroh nodded. "Just wait one moment, I'll have your tea's!"

He left them, then. Katara and Aang were alone, and he sighed. "I used to call Iroh 'Uncle Iroh'. We're that close, Katara. He's like my only family left."

"You never told me about him. Why?" She snapped, crossing her arms. He shrugged, lips giving a pout. "I'm sorry, it never came up in conversation. Now you know him, right? We haven't talked for so many years, I didn't know if he'd even remember me."

Katara couldn't be mad at him, even if she tried. It was true, she shared this experience with Aang in meeting his _almost_ family Iroh. Aang took her hand across the table, lightly pecking her knuckle. She pulled away, blushing. "We're in public..."

"It's okay. The whole world should know I love you," he whispered, a smirk plastered on his face. Nothing would ruin his good mood, and Katara was very happy at that. Iroh returned holding two steaming mugs. He placed them accordingly in front of them, looking proudly from Aang's face to Katara's. They thanked him, blowing at their cups and sipping cautiously. So far, the day was running smoothly.

"I need to get back to work, Aang. Please stop by again in the future! It's always a treat to see such a familiar face." He then turned towards Katara, patting her hand. "It was also amazing to meet you, take care of this one will you?"

"Alright, alright." Aang shot in, pouting. The look in his eye showed he was smugly taking in the open affection. "That's enough, uncle Iroh."

"How nice it is to be called uncle! Zuko is so busy these days that I need to visit him myself. I wonder if he's out of town again..." He began to speak mostly to himself as he waved a farewell and disappeared in the back. Katara and Aang left after finishing their cups of tea. Still feeling a tad guilty, Katara left a healthy tip on the table.

Together, the two left. Aang strode the streets of the city proudly, happily, in an upbeat mood. Katara practically had to sprint to keep up with his fast mannered pace. All they did for the rest of the day was aimlessly go around to look at different sites. Aang knew his way around amazingly, for not visiting for years. Not once did he mention anything negative, and nothing seemed to bother him.

They returned late to their hotel room after dinner. All Katara did was change her clothes and curl up in the bed. Aang followed after, looking absolutely beat. Together, they lay in the bed.


	16. Chapter 16

A.N: sorry short chapter, kinda just a filler for the big endingggg coming up soon! im still thinking so this might just be a TOTAL over exaggeration lol, never trust me... enjoy this chapter!

Aang and Katara were in the Fire Nation for one more day. They decided to go see a few more places. Much to Aang's elation, he created the entire map out of his own memory. He pointed to random places on the home made map and told her about them, sparking her interest. Despite knowing there was a map at the entrance of their hotel, Aang told Katara he'd handle it.

She waited for him to get out of the shower, and then they left. He brought her by Satomobile to a beach just off of the junior high he'd attended as a child. It had high cliffs, and even a cave. The beach was mostly private, she couldn't see anyone up on the hill. She shucked her shoes off, and went down the hill towards the sand. Once her toes were drowned by the warm sand, she dropped her shoes and bag. Glancing back at Aang, she childishly waved and stuck her tongue out at him. Katara took off running towards the water, splashing happily as she ran feet first in. Katara made it up to her knee caps before she stopped. The water was warmed by the red hot sun boiling it. Turning back, Katara spotted Aang just hitting the sand. He put down all of the things he brought, and peeled off his shirt. Aang looked up from under his sunglasses, a smile parting his lips.

The next thing she knew, he was coming towards her at a fast pace. He looked ridiculous running down the hot sand, picking his legs up higher so his feet would be off of it longer. Katara coiled over, holding her stomach as she laughed. Up on the beach she heard Aang shouting "Stop laughing at me!"

Once he got into the water, he bounced into her. Aang's arms rounded her waist, and they fell over together. Squealing, Katara hit the water first. Aang was on top of her. She came up, and Aang rolled off of her. He laid on his back, floating in the small amount of water. They were so close to the shore, Katara could sit up straight and half of her chest was out of the water. She looked at him, cracking up some more.

Katara loved water. She felt drawn to it as a child, and ever since she'd been swimming. Due to the weather, Katara had only truly swam in the ocean a few times after she moved to Republic City with her family. It was nice, and so much different from an indoor pool. Katara rather preferred the sea. Aang stood up, extending a hand for her. Willingly, Katara took it and was hoisted up mostly by his strength. Soaking wet, Katara wrung out her green sundress. She followed Aang up the beach.

To her relief, he revealed a white towel taken from the hotel. For a moment, Katara eyed him with the did-you-really-steal-hotel-towels. He shrugged, giving a smirk. "I'll put them back, okay?"

Finally, she took the towel and dried herself off the best she could. Aang and her sat on the beach together for awhile, basking in the sun as they chatted. They laid together on another towel, and Katara slid on her own glasses.

"You're gonna be tan soon," Katara noted. She looked up at him, and he was smirking at something she did not know.

"I was always tan when I lived here. Remember, I lived here."

She chuckled. "Right. I know. I just never really pictured you _that_ tan, okay?"

He rolled to his side, and under the glare of his glasses Katara knew he was looking her in the eyes. Or, well, in her own glasses lens. "Katara." He said, sounding serious. For a moment, Aang paused. She turned her head, still lying on her back. "I'll show you pictures of me when we get home."

Without giving away anything that she was feeling, Katara looked back up at the clear sky. She nodded, keeping her mouth a straight line. He'd said home like he were speaking of them living together in the same space. Her heart was beating quickly, she felt it in her throat. Aang's hand stretched out for hers, taking it and squeezing. Peeking from the corner of her eye, Katara was so aware of him her whole body was heated. Pulling her hands away, Katara was awfully mindful of her sweating hands. Aang sat up, causing Katara to flinched by the abruptness of his rise. He leaned over her, his sunglasses now off.

Eyes soft, he lowered his face so close that their noses touched.

"Are you okayyyy?" He wondered, eyebrows furrowing. A smile spread across Katara's face, and she laughed. Her laughing turned to tears without even realizing it. Aang moved his face away from her, and pulled her up. Taking off her glasses so he could see her face, Aang brushed her deep set cheeks dry. "Why the tears?"

His arms went around her, and Katara laid her head against his warm shoulder. She pressed her lips gently to his shoulder, and he shivered slightly. "Aang," she murmured after a long moment. It didn't sound like a question.

"Mm?" He was rubbing her back comfortingly, misinterpreting her tears.

"I'm really happy," she whispered, wondering if he could even hear what she said. He stopped moving for a moment, before picking back up on tracing patterns onto her skin. For a long while, they sat there together. Very little people passed, and none of them spared a glance in their direction. Katara pulled away first, and Aang's hands fell on top of hers. They shared a look, before Aang stood up. He held her hands tightly, helping her up. He looked nervous.

Her hands cupped his face, and she pecked his lips. Aang was unusually still, and when Katara pulled away he wore a strange expression.

Again, he took her hands. She glanced down at their interlocked fingers, before looking back up at him.

"Move in with me." He sputtered, cheeks growing a shade of pink. Baffled, Katara wobbled back a step before slipping back on the towel. Both of them tumbled down on the sand him landing on top of her.

"W-what?" She choked out, trying to regain her breath. He held himself up on his elbows, staring into her eyes with anxious anticipation. For a long moment, they were both silent. Katara couldn't drop her gaze from his chocolate eyes.

"You mean, like, permanently?" She asked idiotically. Aang laughed for a moment, nodding his head up and down quickly. Once again he helped her to her feet, brushing aside the towel with his bare foot. Katara wrapped herself into him, and his hand held her head against his shoulder. She was nodding into his shoulder, unable to speak well. She was crying again.

After her tear fest, they packed up their belongings and went back to the Satomobile. Katara sat in the passenger seat, watching him drive the whole time. In peaceful silence, they drove back to the hotel. Because their ticket expired tomorrow, they had to leave for the boat ride back tonight.

Once they got inside, they called for some food and began packing hastily. They ate while packing, emptying the bathroom toiletries into bags. Aang looked over at Katara, raising a brow.

"You know you have unused bathroom soaps back at home, right?"

"I know," she said smugly.

He shot her another look as he smoothly zipped his bag shut. "So, why take these ones?"

"Because I might use them one day and need more." She threw back, shrugging with a sarcastic grin plastered on her face. Aang didn't reply, but she could feel his roll of the eye. Katara went back to packing. They finished by the right time, changed and ready to go.

They drove aboard the boat, ready to get home.

Katara looked at Aang once he finished parking in an appropriate spot among the boat. "So, what stuff should I keep and throw away?"

Aang's head fell back and he chortled. He gave her a side glance and a crooked grin. "Katara, stop stressing over little things okay? We'll figure that out, but for now let's just get back home and sleep for like... ever."


	17. Chapter 17

A.N: aang chapter! sorry that i had to change a few things, im trying to make it sound like raava and vaatu were actual people too. please bear with me that this is a fanfiction and in order to help it fit in with my story i've had to change quite a few things. thank you! enjoy this chapter. (sorry for not updating lately ily muah)

When they arrived home, it was relatively quiet for the next week and a little bit. They hung around, did nothing. Of course, it had been discussed the correct time to move all Katara's belongings. They decided the next weekend would be fine. For the past three days, he was back at work. Katara had taken a sick day because she wasn't feeling well, and it only seemed like she had a flu. In no time she would surely be recovered and back to full health. He left at the usual time, 6:30 AM. As always, he arrived about an hour before the bell. Aang began by writing on the board for the day's history lesson. He wrote about the Lion Turtles, and photo copied some work sheets.

Finally, the bell rang and students slowly but surely flooded through the door. Scanning the room, Aang plastered the usual sticky note on the front door.

**You're late. Wait here until I unlock the door.**

Kids began to whistle as he locked the door. He handed out the work sheet, telling them which page to flip to in their textbooks.

"Okay so you should all have your textbooks, but if not then just share with the person beside you. Read the left side page and we'll begin with the lesson."

In unison, all of them sleepily mumbled a yes to the front of the class. He wrote a few words on the board of people and places. Once most of them were finished, he pointed towards the board at the word Wan.

"Does anyone have any idea who he is? Okay, Simra?"

"The person who brought human and spirit together?" She sounded unsure of herself. Aang sat on one of the old rickety desk heads. He crossed his hands in his lap, nodding.

"Okay, can anyone go deeper?"

Nobody raised their hands, they all looked half asleep still. Disappointingly enough, this was supposed to be taught to them last year.

"Alright, Simra you were right to an extent. Wan was the first human to attempt living peace in the wilds. He was successful alone, but he still failed to end long wars between 'light' and 'dark'. This war has been raging since the beginning of time and will go on forever."

Without raising their hand, one of the kids in the back hollered "then why is it history?"

"Good question, and my assumption is probably because Wan was the first one who took action and did anything to help the world."

The class dragged on, and finally it had got to lunch. He decided since his next class was in the final period, to go home for awhile and see Katara. On the way he picked up some food and tea that might help settle her stomach. As Aang drove into the parking space, there was a Satomobile behind Katara's. Aang climbed out of his own Satomobile, and grabbed his belongings. Curiously, he made his way up the steps easily and opened the door slowly, quietly. In hushed voices, Katara spoke to a female. They were in the dining room, he could hear that far.

As he walked in, he did it almost silently. It was bad to eaves drop, but who was he hurting?

"Well," the other voice spoke. Suki, he deciphered. "When was the last time you got your period?"

"The 17th last month..." Katara sounded distressed, and Aang leaned against the wall.

"That means your only 4 days late, Katara... It sounds totally normal to me. Do you need a test...?" She trailed off. There was a sound of chairs scraping and someone sitting down. Finally, Aang closed the door loudly. He peeled off his jacket and kicked his shoes off. Holding the bag of food, Aang walked into the dining room and put the bag down casually. His mind spun by the words he just heard, but he decided he didn't want to hear any more.

"Oh, hey Suki. I didn't know you were here or I would've brought more food." Aang smiled at Suki, trying to keep up a cool facade. Both of their faces gave nothing away of the portion of their conversation he picked up on. Katara's eyes looked a little more worn than usual, now that he looked hard enough.

"Actually," Katara sighed. "I'm not really hungry. What did you get, though?"

"No problem, I just got some sandwiches and tea. Want tea?" He looked up at Suki, holding up the bottle of tea he had. Suki shook her head, leaning it lazily on her hand. The way she looked at Katara portrayed her emotions otherwise. Although he stood in his own home, Aang felt like an intruder. After a moment, Suki stood up and stretched like she'd been sitting there for a very long time.

"I'm going to leave. Feel better, Katara. Call me again sometime, okay?"

Katara nodded, smiling warmly at her. Suki waved at Aang and began to walk past him. He put down the bottle of tea and followed her.

"I'll walk you out," he hurriedly followed her, closing the door when she opened it. Suki looked at him with furrowed brows, but said nothing. She slid on some ankle boots and zipped them up. Aang slid on the easiest shoes he could find while shooting her a look. Suki looked confused for a moment, and Aang wondered if she was faking the look.

When they got out the door, and closed it tightly and kept his hand on the knob.

"What were you talking about?" Aang asked quickly. His voice was low, something he'd never really heard himself. Suki's eyes widened but she dropped them quickly, probably hoping he didn't see her sudden perplexity. He saw it. She knew it. Suki's shoulders fell and she took a long breath, sighing even longer.

"Nothing." She picked up her head, a smile perking up her lips. Her eyes drooped as if she were tired. Suki turned, picking up her arm to wave but Aang was having none of it. He hastily took hold of her wrist, jaw locking in anger. This was very unlike him. Why was he acting like this?

"Whoa, Aang. Back off." She swatted him away, picking up her other arm defensively. His hand dropped to the side and he exasperatedly leaned back against the door.

"I heard-"

But Suki cut him off coming closer. Their faces were inches apart, he could feel her breath tickling his chin. "What did you hear?"

As if just noticing she was very close, Suki backed up a few steps, holding onto the railing of the porch. Aang gulped a sudden build up of saliva in his mouth. "I heard enough. Now tell me, Suki."

"Alright, Alright. Come here." She swatted him, taking him by the scruff of the jacket he wore and dragging him to her car. She spilled everything.

"Katara thinks she's pregnant. She missed her pill and you guys had sex. No period for around 4 days. Don't talk to her about it, she already said she'd figure everything out before telling you. Aang, stop giving me those eyes. Trust her. Now move, I need to go."

She left, and he was left in the empty parking spot feeling dazed as he accumulated everything she just said. What? Aang had to stand out there in the parking lot for at least 5 minutes before going back into the house and meeting Katara in the dining room. She'd poured herself a cup of tea and sat staring absently at the paper bag. When he entered the room, she looked up and forced a smile. He would've never known the difference unless he knew all the things he now did.

"Aang, you look so pale. Are you okay?"

"Mm? Oh, yeah. I'm just...pale in general."

"Yeah, but you look like you've just seen a spirit. Come on, sit down." She got up and unnecessarily helped him sit in a chair, before pouring him a cup of tea and putting it in front of him.

"Don't strain yourself. Still sick, remember?" He sounded harsher than he wanted to be, and tightly clamped his mouth shut. Katara stared at him blankly for a moment before she snapped back into reality and slumped back into the chair she sat in previously.

"Right, sorry..."

He didn't feel good. Should he be mad, or...what? Aang shook himself out of his own thoughts, and stood up.

"I need to get back to work, sorry. Will you be okay alone until dinner?"

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"I'll cook. Just, get rest." He stiffly kissed her forehead, fingering her hair gently before letting go and walking towards the door. Aang collected his things and quickly left, not looking back at the house. Once he got into his Satomobile, he felt something he hadn't felt for so long. Anger, a pure rage shoot through him that he had no idea how to get under control or just plain stop in general. He had to get out of this trance before going back to school.

When he was driving back to the school, so many things where going through his mind that he stopped at the side of the road just to try and put himself together properly. Why wouldn't she tell him anything? That was so major there would be no argument that could make him feel better for not knowing. If she was, what would she do? Not tell him, and do something major without asking someone? Katara was like that. Aang slammed his hands against the dashboard of the car, leaning his head back against the seat and screaming at the top of his lungs. This was not like Aang at all, why was he doing these things? He would judge people internally for over reacting so harshly. But, this time the roles were reversed and everyone who passed his Satomobile stared at him as if he were insane. He felt as if he were about to go insane.

Aang pulled out his phone and dialed the school. He told them he got sick and couldn't make it back, which was extremely irresponsible. Aang definitely shouldn't have done that. They told them they understood and hoped he felt better. No, they didn't understand a single thing. Instead, tires squealing and other mobiles honking, Aang turned his own Satomobile around and drove to the nearest bar.


	18. Chapter 18

A.N: yo enjoy this theres only like 2 chapters left lol. this fanfic is beginning to get a little boring imo, and i love the support im receiving and i want to thank you all so muchhh!

Aang arrived home at 2 AM. He was drunk, and stumbling with his key in the door until Katara yanked open the door, with her arms crossed tightly across her chest. He walked past her, his shoulder hitting hers so hard it knocked her back. Katara slammed the door shut, watching him with cold eyes. He sat down on the couch with pursed lips and laid his head back on the cushion..

"Where were you?" Katara wondered, trying not to raise her voice. She felt like she was about to explode with Anger. He'd been acting strange all day, following Suki out of the house and returning with a weird expression.

"The bar." He slurred, shrugging his shoulders. Aang smelled like stale beer, that was for sure.

"You drove back here all by yourself?"

"Yep!" He stood up, coming towards her. Aang pinned her against the wall with two hands on her hips, and she pushed him off, having none of it.

"Don't touch me." She swatted at him, and he fell back onto the sofa like they were playing a game. "Why did you go out for so long? I've been waiting for you all night. You said you'd make dinner, and we had no food so I had to go out and buy some. You didn't call, you didn't come back until now. What the hell?"

He was up on his feet again, holding up a finger as if it would silence her. It didn't, no way in the spirit world would it. She hit his hand away and it fell limply to his side. Aang didn't seem to notice.

"You can't get mad at me! Lying, keeping secrets."

"What are you talking about? I'm not lying or keeping secrets." She argued, no longer holding back.

"Sure you aren't. Suuuure you aren't! You're lying right now, Kataraaa. Suki told me everything- oops. I wasn't supposed to say that."

Suki told him what? Oh. That. Her mouth hung open slightly as she processed the words he just mumbled almost unintelligibly. Cocking her head to the side, she released a loud sigh.

"I'm not lying to you, Aang. I was going to figure everything out. You'd definitely be the most unfit father I've ever met-" she choked out. Her anger build up was not okay. Katara was just saying things she knew that she would regret. Aang probably wouldn't remember anything, so it was going to be fine. She kept telling herself that hopefully.

"Whatever," he chortled, tipping his head back holding his flat stomach as if he had to. "Doesn't seem like you'd be the most fit mother either, huh?"

"What does that mean? You need to go to sleep right now before I-"

"Before you what? Put me to sleep yourself?" Another laugh. "This is my house Katara, remember?"

"No, you're right." She said, slipping on some shoes. Katara picked up her jacket and slid it on. Her bag was on the floor and before she could pick it up, Aang kicked it.

"No, you're not leaving." He said it more softly this time, but his eyes were bulging out of his head.

"Go to bed, then." She snapped, walking past him and up the stairs. He followed her, just as she'd expected. When she reached the room, Katara opened the door and let him walk through head of her.

"Go to sleep, Aang. Yeah, lay down and sleep off whatever the hell you did. Talk to me about this tomorrow." Her voice was thick, like she was about to cry. But Katara didn't understand why. An uncontrollable rage flowed through her, and she still was about to cry. Aang kicked off his shoes and collapsed on the bed. He'd passed out completely, just after a few seconds.

Katara didn't sleep much, she'd fallen asleep on the couch and woken up a mere hour later with a sick feeling in her core. When she fell asleep again, her eyes opened as Aang walked down the stairs loudly. He spotted her on the couch and furrowed his brows. He'd probably forgotten almost everything or last night. That, or he was mad and remembered it all. Katara burrowed under the single blanket from the back of the sofa. It was cold, and only 6 AM.

"Katara," Aang said hoarsely from the kitchen. She didn't answer, but got up and lumbered into the kitchen. Not meeting his eyes, Katara sat down in the dining chair and interlocked her fingers.

"Last night," he spoke slowly, taking a swig of water. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked terrible. "Can we talk?"

She opened her palms at him, instigating he had the floor to speak. He sat down across from her, and held the cup in both hands.

"I'm sorry." He began, blinking himself fully awake. "I said terrible things, I'm sorry."

She said nothing at all, and he stared at her.

"Katara, I love you." He whispered at last. She was tired, and cold. A hand went over her mouth, a sick feeling crawling up her stomach. She stood up abruptly, the chair falling backwards and clattering onto the floor. Rushing to the bathroom, Katara vomited in the bathroom. Aang was right on her heels, she convulsed hideously with her head in the toilet.

"Holy shit," he leaned down beside her, rubbing her back. Katara pushed him away, not looking at him. "Go away," she instructed with a moan. He didn't. He pulled her long hair behind her back and held it in his hand. She threw up once more, before pulling her mouth away and wiping her hand with the back of her hand.

"I said go away," Katara snapped, weakly standing up and going for the sink. Aang watched her as she washed her hands and took a swig of mouthwash, thoroughly washing her mouth out and spitting the contents into the sink.

"You're pregnant, right?" He said, staring right through her. She turned, leaning against the sink to look at him.

"I think so, yeah." Katara admitted, biting her lip. He'd said something about her being an unfit mother. She felt her stomach clench tightly again, and she held a hand to it and closed her eyes.

"All those things I said last night, I didn't mean." He whispered, arms wrapping around her. Katara was crying, and she hadn't even realized it until then. He held her tightly, kissing her forehead over and over as he whispered that he loved her and it was alright. "Katara," he murmured quietly. She looked up at him.

"It's okay. We'll survive, right?" He chuckled softly, wiping her tears with his thumbs. Aang still smelled bad, like beer. She didn't care. Her arms went around him and she pressed her face to his bare chest, nuzzling it.

"Mm," she muffled into him. Her chest un-clenched a little, and she felt a warm feeling.

"We'll survive, I guess."

They left the bathroom together and Aang helped her up the stairs with great care, despite her telling him she was fine now. He watched her until she laid down in the bed and then got her some water. She fell asleep quickly, before he returned with the water.

When she opened her eyes, it was later and her eyes shot open. She felt like shit. Katara rolled over and got up. When she hit the bottom of the stairs, she could hear the television on and Aang sat in there, staring at the blank screen. She walked out, looking at him with a soft expression. He didn't notice her for a moment until he looked up and smiled a little. He had more water in his hand. Hung over, obviously.

"What time is it?" She mumbled.

"4, come here." He sat up, and she sat beside him. His arm went around her and they laid on the couch together. They laid there for what seemed like a long time, but only a few minutes had passed. She turned around and looked at him in the eyes. He looked back at her as well, with no expression on his face.

"Aang," she began. He nodded, not saying anything. "If I am pregnant, what will we do?"

"Raise our child." He answered simply, as if it was that easy. Snorting, Katara sat up on the couch and put her arm around Aang to kiss his forehead. He sat up, too.

"What?" He muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

"We're not married, we don't even live together yet. This is getting crazy just thinking about it."

"You want to get married? Okay."

Her eyes shot over to him, giving him the are-you-serious look. Nodding furiously, Aang pressed his lips to hers softly. "Not now, though. Let's wait a little. If you are pregnant we'll wait until after it's born. Come on, Katara. We've got 9 months."

"Can we go to the clinic?" She asked, biting her lip again. Aang stood up and stretched then, giving a yawn. It made her yawn too.

They arrived at the clinic at around 4:30. Katara went in and asked to be checked while Aang sat out in the old, sanitizer smelling waiting room. When she emerged from the small room, they left without speaking a word to each other. As they passed people gagging and blowing their noses loudly, she took his hand and squeezed it.

Aang looked more put together, now. He wore a pair of brown skinny jeans and blue tie up dress shoes and a blazer over top of a white t-shirt. Looking back at her now, he was expressionless. When they got back to the Satomobile and got in the car, Katara let out a long sigh.

"So?" He prodded her, pressing a hand firmly to her thigh.

"I'm pregnant," was all she said.


	19. Chapter 19

A.N: IM SOOOO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! seriously the past few weeks have been really stressful because it's the end of the year, i just had exams literally a few days ago and now its my summer! i recently began to study some korean so im sorryyy that ive been so pre occupied. sorry for making you guys wait so long hope you enjoy this chapter lol (also sorry bout the shorter chapters, im just gonna end this in a chapter or so)

Katara watched as Aang put Bumi to sleep in his cradle. He flicked on the small nightlight so the room wasn't pitch black and turned to face her. He looked tired walking back to her, spinning the ring on his left hand. Is if on instinct, Katara glanced down at hers, too. Aang and Katara had gotten engaged just months before Bumi was born. Finally, they got married 6 months after he was brought into the world.

Her fingers lightly grazed the brothel necklace Aang had attempted to carve. Even though he didn't know it, Katara woke in the late of the night while Aang was still up cursing himself quietly for taking on the task. He would wake up the next morning with mysterious cuts on his fingers and promise it was only because of the dishes he was planning to make for her.

After finally waiting for months, Aang brought her to dinner in a small little restaurant, before awkwardly passing her the choker across the table. In real confusion, Katara picked it up and stared at it. She went into labor the same night, wearing the brothel necklace.

Now Bumi was only 2, and it had been like they'd been married for years. In truth, it was only a little over a year and a half. They partially closed the door to his pale yellow room and went to their own. Collapsing on the bed, Aang lay on his stomach, hugging the pillow and sighing.

Laughing quietly, Katara laid down on the bed as well, rubbing his back gently. "That's why they call it the terrible 2's, sweetie."

"Bumi is my little nightmare," he returned, rolling over on his back. Aang leaned his head on her shoulder, kissing her neck softly. He pecked feather light kisses onto her neck, stopping on a nice spot to suckle on her. Katara took a fist full of his shirt in both hands, pulling him on top of her. Aang straddled her hips, cupping her chin and tilting her head back so he could access more of her neck.

Katara's heart fluttered, her stomach anxiously flipping as his hands slowly moved down her body. She pushed him away, holding onto the base of his throat to keep his face only inches away.

"Aang," she murmured as innocently as she could. His head cocked to the side in confusion.

"When can we have another baby?" She barely whispered. Aang's eyes softened, and his warm hands pressed against her cheeks. He pecked her face, everywhere he could touch.

"Whenever you want," he replied after a long silence. Her hands fell away from his shoulders, and she began to unbutton his shirt. His hands moved away from her face to push up her pajama shirt. Aang immediately went down and began to press his lips roughly to the side of her breast, sucking, biting. Katara pulled his shirt off, bringing him in closer to her.

His mouth went down lower, then, and began to kiss over top of her pajama pants. Katara's breath hitched, and she watched as he glanced up at her. There was a light 4'o'clock shadow that was growing just along his jawline. Katara could dig it. His hands teased up her shirt and pushed it up past her breasts. Katara closed her eyes and laid her head back on the pillow, suppressing a moan. His hands moved back to her hips and pushed them down firmly on the bed.

Katara began to push him away, and he gave her a concerned expression.

"What's wrong?" He murmured, sitting back on the bed. Shaking her head, Katara said nothing. She planted her feet on the floor and stood up straight, keeping her back directed towards her husband. His hand reached for her hips, but she shook them off. Hands drifting to her shirt, Katara pulled it off and went for her bottoms next.

She heard Aang's breathing hitch, and Katara grinned to herself. Finally fully naked, Katara turned towards him again. His feet dangled off the edge of the bed, feet on the floor. She stepped between his spread legs, picking up a hand and holding it between both of her own. He peered up at her, but not for long. Aang's eyes continued to give her body a once over, at least several times.

"I want you," she murmured almost shyly. Between both of her hands, his own hand twitched. They met eyes again, and Katara brought his hand to cup her breast. Instinctively, he squeezed it very gently. Aang shuffled closer, free hand gripping her waist and pulling her closer. The hand on Katara's waist slowly began to move down it, to caress her thigh. His lips found her stomach, kissing it roughly all the way to her breasts. Tongue circling her nipple, Aang slid his middle finger between her thighs and deeply inside of her. Gasping, Katara leaned into him more. His entire mouth was full of her breast, and he nibbled it before going back to using his tongue. His hand between her thighs were agonizingly slow when it came to thrusting in and out. Her hips bucked him farther inside, and his hand froze.

Katara greedily began to move herself up and down his finger, and he decided to add another while she was mid stroke. Biting her bottom lip, she released a small sigh. Against her nipple, Katara felt him slowly smile and stop his motion against her all together.

With a quiet whine, she reached between her thighs and took hold of his wrist. Aang looked up at her, wearing a sly smile on his lips.

"Stop," she breathed.

"Stop what?" He wondered, curling his fingers inside of her teasingly. Katara brought both of her hands to cup his face and make him look at her.

"Stop being mean, I just told you I wanted you."

Nodding, Aang pondered nothing in general for a moment. Suddenly, he decided something. "I want to make you need me, though."

"I do-"

"Not yet."

Katara dropped his wrist, and he straightened his nimble fingers inside of her again. Flustered, she pulled away from him, gasping when his fingers pulled out of her quickly. She dropped to her knee's, yanking down his pajama pants along with his boxers. Not even taking them off fully, her tongue swept across his tip and she took him in her mouth.

Aang reached his head back and cursed quietly, fingers filling her hair and tightening firmly.

"Katara-"

She placed a hand around the base of his shaft and teased her tongue around his tip, sucking gently.

"Katara-" He gasped in a more panicked manner. Satisfied, Katara brought her hand up and down the part of his erect shaft that wasn't engulfed by her mouth. She took him deeper, using her other hand to caress his thigh nicely. Rounding her mouth with a perfect O, Katara took Aang out of her mouth with a loud popping noise.

"Why did you stop?" He whined, and she looked him right in the eye seriously.

"I could ask you the same thing." Replied Katara, standing up and pushing his back down on the bed. She straddled his thighs and began to rub herself up and down his shaft. He shuddered a few times. Daringly, Katara took both of his wrists in her hands and brought them above his head. He looked at her with wide eyes and a gaped mouth.

"Wh-"

"Shh, it's fine." She purred, moving down his shaft farther, brushing herself against his balls. A groan was answered instead, and she began to kiss his jaw.

Letting go of his wrist she reached for him, positioning his tip between her thighs and circling her hips to bring him inside. A sigh escaped him, and Aang's eyes closed. Katara sat up straight, bringing him in deeper. Both gasping quietly, Katara let go of his wrist unconsciously.

His hands slid to her hips, pushing them down on him harder. One hand began to play with her clit, teasing slow circles as she rode him.

Soft moans filled the room. Aang bucked his hips a few times, and Katara nearly cried out.

"S-stop, Bumi will-"

It was too late.

She could hear Bumi wail loudly. Leaning her head back with a sigh, Katara shoved herself off Aang. He limply laid on the bed, glancing at her with a disappointed expression.

"Mommy!" Bumi cried, and Katara quickly reached for a house coat to wrap herself in. She left Aang naked in the room as she went for Bumi's room and fully opened the half closed door.

"It's okay, baby. I'm here." She wrapped her hand's under his armpits and hoisted him into her arms. He was quiet then, and Katara bounced up and down gently as she positioned him on her hip. He laid his head on her shoulder, little blue eyes closing as the rhythm steadied. Katara pressed her lips lovingly to the top of his head. For a moment she continued until for sure she knew that he was asleep again.

Sitting down in the seat at the corner of the room, she let him lay on her chest, rubbing circles into his back with her thumb soothingly.

Aang came into the room, pouting like a 7 year old. Bringing a finger to her lips, Katara shook her head and watched as he sat down on the floor. He laid his head against the arm rest, closing his eyes as Katara soothed their baby. Aang brought a hand up and held it out for Katara. She took his hand in hers, and they stay there like that for awhile.


	20. Finale

A.N: heyyyyyyy, sorry i havent updated for like 4 years im seriously sorry, and this is the last chapterrrr omggg i know i suck. thank you all so much for reading my first fic! but hey, im thinking of writing a sequel fic to this about kya discovering her homosexuality but im not entirely sure yet lol! tell me what you think, should i? anywayyy, heres the finale to underwater air pls enjoy this fluffy final chapter! bye for now.

FINALE

Katara pressed her lips to Kya's forehead, crouching down on one knee to level her height. She wore a bright blue sundress and her bangs pulled away by a few berets. Kya hugged Katara tightly around the neck, and she knew her daughter was pouting.

"Mm, Kya. It's fine. Bumi is waiting for you. He told you school was fun, didn't' he?"

"I don't believe him!" She wailed, and Katara looked up at Bumi. He was smirking smugly at her, but Kya couldn't see. Untangling Kya from her arms, Katara stood up quickly before she could cling on again. Despite that, she still held tightly to her leg.

"Mom, I'm going to be late." Bumi whined.

"Go in with him, Kya. I won't ask again." She tried more firmly, and Kya finally pulled away from her leg. Bumi held a hand for her, and Katara watched as Kya hesitantly took it. He was much taller than her, as tall as a 10 year old was compared to a 5 year old.

"Dad will be right here after school! If he's not, wait for him."

"'Kay." Bumi called, waving at her. Kya had to run to keep up with his strides, and Katara chuckled. Pressing a hand tenderly to her flat stomach, Katara climbed back into her satomobile. _Another_ baby? What would Aang think? She'd taken over 5 tests last night, and they were all positive. She wondered if their house could hold 5 people, but decided she had to think about work for the moment.

After work, Katara dialed the number of Aang's phone and he picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?" He asked, probably aware it was Katara.

"Sweetie, did you get the kids?"

"Mm, yeah. Are you making dinner tonight?"

Nodding, Katara got into the Satomobile. "Yeah, is it okay that I invited my dad and brother?"

"Yeah, why not? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. I'll be home in awhile. I'm going to grab some things from the grocery store. Bye."

She didn't wait for him to answer before hanging up. Katara felt an excited buzz. She was about to announce her pregnancy to her family. Again. For the third time.

Arriving home, Katara walked into the house to find Aang sitting with Kya between his legs and braiding her long hair. She sat very still, her head tugging back lightly from time to time. Looking up, Aang smiled at Katara with a brush between his teeth.

"For a bald person, you're very good at doing hair." Katara snorted, walking into the kitchen to put away the groceries.

Bumi stormed into the kitchen, leaning his weight on the counter. "Mom, whats for dinner?"

"Not sure yet, what do you want?"

"Fish!"

"Okay, I can work with that." She answered, and he was about to walk out. Katara noticed Bumi looked like he had just jumped into a pool of paint. "Hey!" Katara called after him, "go put on some nice clothes. Your uncle and grandfather will be here for dinner tonight."

Bumi didn't answer, he just ran straight up the stairs. Sighing, Katara opened up the pantries and began to whisk through them to look for proper cooking supplies. Aang walked in shortly after she began to cook, and mimicked the exact same position Bumi had. Scratching his beard, Aang quietly watched as Katara cut up vegetables and poured rice into the pot.

"Will you help Kya get ready? I don't think Bumi is going to change, so could you pick out some clothes for him?"

"Yeah, I'll help them. Oh, and Katara?"

She looked up at him, not placing the knife down on the chopping board.

"Are you pregnant?"

"How did you know?" She glared at him, wondering if he went through the trash.

"You're so bad at hiding the tests," Aang laughed, walking fully into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around her. She began to chop vegetables again until she felt him kissing the back of her neck.

"Hey, go pick out the clothes for the kids, will you? I'm busy." She shoo'd him off, backing her behind into him so he'd let go. Laughing, Aang walked off towards the staircase. Katara was left alone to cook, which seemed peaceful enough.

While in the middle of checking the fish, Kya came into the kitchen dressed in a knee length green dress that had long flowing sleeves. Her hair was in the same eccentric braid Aang had did when Katara first walked in. Why was he better at doing hair than her? Katara noticed that Kya had a blue choker hanging from her neck. It was loose, but Katara had given it to her for her 5th birthday not even a month ago. The choker Katara's mother had.

"I want to help." Kya whined, pouting cutely. Katara stood up straight, smugly grinning down at her. Placing a hand on her hip, Kya mimicked her.

"You want to help?" Katara asked, knowing a 5 year old couldn't do any of the work she was doing right now. Instead, she passed Kya 4 plates and told her to set the table.

"Ask Bumi to grab the knives, okay?"

"'Kay." She left, then. Feeling good about herself, Katara finished up cooking and put all the food on serving plates. She went out to the kitchen, where instead of Kya putting down the plates, Aang was doing it for her while she watched, standing on a chair.

"Like this?" Aang looked up at his daughter. Kya shook her head and made her hand look like it was turning a doorknob. "No, daddy! Turn the fork the other way."

"Oh, you mean like this?"

"No! The other way." She demanded, slamming both little palms down on the table.

"Kya, I've done it every way."

"Let me, let me."

Aang slipped his hands under her armpits and hoisted her to the other side of the table. "You asked me to do it, though." He was pouting, and he looked like a 7 year old. Laughing, Katara placed the food down in the middle of the table.

"You should take it easy, Katara. I'll get the rest of the food, why not get changed?"

"No, you're helping me, daddy!"

"I can help you both." He kissed the back of Kya's head, who swatted him away and went back to turning the forks to her liking. Nodding, Katara went up and changed into comfortable, but nice clothes.

When she got downstairs, there was a knock at the door. Right on time, it was probably her father.

She was right. Hakoda walked through the door holding a store bought cake. Out of joy, Kya squealed and jumped him. Placing the cake down nicely, Hakoda picked up Kya with a grunt and hugged her tightly. Bumi was close behind, getting his head pat and also hugging his grandfather warmly. It was a nice sight, making Katara feel nervously excited to announce there'd be a third soon enough.

"Grandpa, grandpa, did you get us anything?"

Hakoda had been back in the South, for awhile actually. The last time Katara had seen him was when Kya was only 3. His hair was getting gray, and the wrinkles around his eyes were more defined. Nodding, Hakoda put Kya down and revealed a brown bag he'd left at the front door.

"Bumi, can you grab the cake?" Hakoda asked, and Bumi took it. He never did anything when Katara or Aang asked, but his granddad was a whole other story. Bumi squeezed past Katara and put the cake into the fridge. Quickly coming back out, he eagerly awaited for Hakoda to reveal what he'd gotten for them.

"Hey, let your grandpa relax." Katara said, sitting herself down on the sofa. Aang was standing over by the television, and he looked over at her with raised eyebrows.

"It's fine, Katara." Hakoda promised, kicking his shoes towards the shoe rack at the front door and shrugging his jacket off his shoulders.

"Come here, guys." Katara ordered softly, and they both scrambled towards her. Aang went over towards the love seat and sat himself down slowly. Hakoda took a seat beside Bumi on the sofa and laid the bag nicely on the coffee table.

"Okay, let me just see here." Hakoda prodded, opening up the bag and pulling out a wrapped present. Katara looked at the shape of it, as he passed it towards Bumi.

"Dad, you didn't-" she cut herself off as Bumi violently tore into the paper. It was a blue boomerang, obviously the handiwork of Hakoda himself. Bumi's name was carved into it, and the sides looked sharp.

"He's 10!" Katara whined, looking in between Aang and Hakoda both. Aang merely shrugged, looking half interested. He tried to put on a serene face for Katara, but she saw through it.

"It's fine," she heard a voice at the door. Sokka walked through it, holding the hand of Suki. "I got my first boomerang when I was 10."

"Look how you turned out," Katara shot back.

"Perfect!" Sokka stomped his feet, sticking his tongue out at Katara. Bumi stood up at threw the boomerang at Sokka, who was hit in the arm.

"It didn't come back!" Bumi whined, ignoring the cries of Sokka.

"Where's my present?" Kya stood up, walking towards Hakoda who let her sit on his lap.

"Right here, princess." He handed her a small bag, in which she opened and pulled out a deep blue hair beret which matched her eyes. On it had a little white gem cut into the shape of a crescent moon. Jumping off Hakoda's lap, Kya went to Katara and immediately handed her the clip.

"Mommy, put it right here. Right here!"

Listening to her, Katara clipped it into Kya's thick brown hair and proudly, she went over to Sokka and Suki to show it off.

"Wow, so pretty." Suki knelt down to level her height, engulfing her into a hug.

"I know." Kya hugged her tightly around the neck, allowing Suki to pick her up and carry her back over to the group.

"Should we go eat?" Katara wondered, standing up. Everyone followed her, sitting down around the table and immediately digging in. Bumi sat beside Hakoda, while Kya sat between Sokka and Suki. Ignoring Sokka, Suki was in deep conversation with Kya for what seemed like the whole night.

"Aang, you're being quiet." Katara murmured to him, taking a sip of water. Looking over at her, Aang smiled faintly. Once she put down the cup, he took her hand in his and squeezed it.

"I'm just happy." He said, looking around at each and every face at the table. "My family is with me."

"Yeah," Katara nodded, squeezing his hand back. "I'm happy, too."

Should she tell them now? Letting go of Aang's hand, she slowly stood up. The conversation slowly cut off as they looked to the end of the table towards her.

Once again, Aang took her hand. He held it gently this time, but it wasn't any less comforting.

"Mommy, why are you standing up?" Kya wondered. Smiling, Katara sighed loudly. She shouldn't have been as nervous as she was. "It's because I have something to say."

"Well, say it." Hakoda prodded her, taking a drink.

"We're...we're going to have another baby." Katara hesitated a moment, before coming straight out with it. All went silent for a moment, and she let go of Aang's hand quickly.

"Another baby?" Kya echoed, sounding confused. Suki stood up immediately, rounding the table towards Katara.

"Katara!" She took her into a hug, resting her chin on Katara's shoulder. Returning the hug, Katara sighed loudly.

"That's right, Kya." Aang answered, leaning across the table to wipe the edge of her mouth clean.

"Will I still be your favorite?" She asked, looking over at Katara.

"You'll all be my favorite," Katara promised, letting go of Suki and sitting in her seat. Hakoda pat Aang on the shoulder across the table and gingerly hugged Katara.

"I should've made a second boomerang."

"No. No, don't. It might be a girl, right?" Katara shook her head, and Hakoda laughed.

"What?" Bumi broke in. "Make it a boy! Another Kya would be _so_ annoying."

"Hey-y-y-y-y!" Kya screamed at the top of her lungs. She held up a spoon, ready to throw it when Sokka yanked it out of her hand.

"Hey, thanks!" Sokka immediately stuffed his face with the spoon, not waiting for a reaction out of his niece.

"Okay, that's enough guys." Aang pointed a finger at both of them, furrowing his brows. They both went back to eating.

Katara took a bite of her fish, and Sokka finally finished wolfing enough food down to speak. "Did you hear Toph is also pregnant?"

"What, really?" Katara asked, glancing at Aang who seemed to have the same expression as her.

"Yeah, with that Kanto guy. She's been with him for awhile, right?"

"Mm," Aang replied with a mouthful.

After eating, everyone stood up and said their goodbyes. Hakoda promised to come over again in a few days if he had time before leaving back to the Southern Tribe. Suki and Sokka left after taking picture's of the kids and giving a massive amount of hugs.

It wasn't long until only 4 were left in the house, and it got noticeably more quiet when Bumi and Kya both decided to go to sleep.

"Do you think we'll need to move?" Katara wondered, laying down next to Aang in bed and looking up at the darkened ceiling.

"Yeah, I think so. This house won't hold all of us, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"I guess so."

Katara felt Aang wrap his arms around her and lay his head on her shoulder.

"I wish I could tell Iroh. He would have been so excited."

"You can." Katara promised. "We'll visit his grave, and then we'll visit your parents graves if you want, and then my mom's, and my gran's. We'll tell all of them."

"That'll cost a lot of money." Aang laughed quietly, shaking both of them.

"But it'll be worth it, right?"

"Mm," He kissed her lips softly, pulling her tighter against him. Aang rested his hand on her stomach, caressing it with his thumb. Katara closed her eyes and snuggled closer to him. He was warm, and it made her more tired. She fell asleep with two hands on her stomach, her own and Aang's.


End file.
